Crossroads
by NuGirl
Summary: Hope Valley was to be Jack's career posting. Travel along with Jack and Elizabeth as they navigate this career posting
1. Chapter 1

**Hi Hearties...**

 **Slightly different story than my last one. Not a 100% sure where I'm going with this one, but here's the first chapter.**

 **Again to LisaNY thank you for reading, editing and chatting to me about ideas.**

* * *

Elizabeth bid her students farewell, "Good afternoon children. Don't forget your lunch pails. And for the older students, please do not forget your homework." She returned the wave that Emily gave her before she shut the door to the schoolhouse behind her.

Elizabeth stopped for a moment, leaning against the edge of her teacher's table, enjoying the sound of children's laughter and chatter that could be heard through the open windows as they hurried down the path towards their homes. Sighing contentedly, Elizabeth pushed herself off the desk and turned to look at the parting quote that she had written on the board. She enjoyed having a quote or saying on chalkboard at the beginning of the day, something for the children to discuss, and sometimes she would have one to end the day also. Look up she took in what she had written:

' _Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by_ _those who hustle' ~ Abraham Lincoln_

Elizabeth stood for a few moments longer, dust rag in hand. Whilst thinking about what she could next write, she watched as the speck of chalk dust flew around and were caught up in the sunlight that streamed through the side window. She decided on another president, after thinking about over hearing the older children talk about what their future might hold, seemingly some of them were not holding themselves in high regard and they didn't think they would have much hope for themselves. Yes, she had the perfect quote.

 _'It is hard to fail, but it is worse…'_

"…it is worse never to have tried to succeed. Theodore Roosevelt 1901-1909… The United States' most recent president," came a voice from behind her.

Elizabeth gasped and spun around, dropping her chalk and ran into the person behind her.

"Whoa," Jack said as he reached out to steady her, his hands moving to grasp onto her shoulders.

"Jack," she exclaimed. "When did you get back into Hope Valley? I didn't think you were going to back for at least another few days."

"A short while ago," he smiled at her. "You are my first stop," he told her, releasing her.

Elizabeth gave him a shy smile as she took a step back. Her eyes widen slightly as she noticed a chalky handprint on Jack's red serge just above his left top pocket. She giggled faintly as a distant memory. Jack gave her a slightly confused look and looked down at this uniform, following her gaze. He only became more confused, not understanding what was causing her laughter. He raised his eyebrows slightly at her.

Elizabeth took a step back towards Jack again, beginning to brush off the dust that had settled on his tunic.

"You did once say that you felt cheated since I didn't leave you with any of my chalk dust," Elizabeth informed him.

Jack's smile widen as he caught Elizabeth's hand, trapping it to his chest. Elizabeth felt her heart begin to race slightly. Reaching up with his other hand, he tucked a curl behind her ear and trailed a finger down her cheek.

"I did feel cheated," Jack informed her. "But now I've got chalk dust on my uniform I think I deserve some compensation for that," he teased.

Elizabeth's jaw dropped slightly.

"Jack Thornton!" she huffed. " First you feel cheated that I didn't leave chalk dust on you… now you want compensation because I have?" she asked.

"I felt cheated that you didn't leave me with any of your chalk dust on my hands, this is my Mountie's uniform," Jack smiled impishly.

"Well," she continued. "Remembering our first meeting, you're lucky that I didn't throw my chalk at you. Of course, I am too much of a lady to do that," she informed him.

Jack huffed slightly. "It was an interesting first meeting. Elizabeth, you irritated me that first day in the saloon. You and your stubbed toes were not what I had been picturing when I got my first assignment."

"And you were flirting with me Constable Thornton," she replied.

"I might have been… You interested me. That soon turned into irritation."

Elizabeth screwed up her nose slightly.

"And that turned to intrigue," he finished leaning down to capture her lips.

"That's a lot of 'I' words," she mumbled against his lips.

"You're still talking," Jack replied.

Elizabeth pulled back. "I just need to finish up here Jack."

"You finish writing and I'll gather up your books," Jack told her as he released her for the second time.

"I just need those readers from the front row," Elizabeth instructed as she bent down to retrieve her abandon chalk. "And those books from my desk along with my basket, please."

"Yes Mrs Thornton… will there be anything else?" Jack teased.

Elizabeth turned on her heel and threw her dust rag at him.

"Careful, I might not share the dinner that I picked up from Abigail's Café on the way home. It's sitting in the kitchen at home," he told her, catching the rag before it hit the floor.

"Jack… you said that I was your first stop."

"Okay…" Jack looked at her slyly. "Actually you're my last stop," he confirmed as he placed the rag on the lip of the chalkboard. "I got in from Rock Creek. Filed my paperwork at the jail. Been to Abigail's for our dinner and it's sitting in our kitchen waiting for us to get home, it was supposed to be a surprise," he explained as he took the chalk from her hands, placing it down. Taking her by the hand, he began to lead her towards the door, only stopping to allow her to pick up her basket and coat.

"And, besides I would really like to get out of this uniform," he told her as he helped her on with her coat and leading her out of the door before she was able to say anything.

* * *

Not long after Jack and Elizabeth finished dinner they found themselves in the living room beside an open fire. Nearby, Rip was snoozing on his rug, a mere foot or so away. Jack was stretched out over the couch; book in hand, stealing glances over at Elizabeth from time to time.

Elizabeth was sitting at the small writing desk that she shared with Jack, going through her students' readers, a slight chuckle every now and then. She too was throwing glances over to where Jack was sitting. Marking the last of her students' grammar exercises, she placed her pencil down, stretching her fingers slightly. She was glad that school would be breaking for the summer soon. She loved the children, but she could do without the marking. Again she let her eyes wander over to Jack. He was relaxing with a book, feet up on the end of the couch. It had been a long week without Jack around. She had been fairly lucky in their first eight months of marriage, in that Jack had been away very little during that time. Elizabeth had grown accustomed to having Jack around all the time, especially at night, but she was learning to cope in their house by herself. She was yet to have burned down the house with her cooking skills, which she congratulated herself about.

Gathering up her books she placed them into her basket ready for school the next day, before making her way over to the couch.

Jack, seeing her coming, slid up and righted himself, placing his book on the table next to the couch. Opening up his arms, he motioned for Elizabeth to join him on the couch.

"I've missed this," she quietly spoke. Jack smiled as he placed a kiss behind her ear.

"Did you sleep better this time?" he asked. Elizabeth had been having problems sleeping when Jack was away. She had become accustomed to having someone else, namely Jack in the bed and missed the warm comfort when Jack's job took him away. The first time Jack was called away after their marriage, he had come home to a very tired Elizabeth, who was having trouble performing even the most basic task due to the extreme lack of sleep.

"Getting better," she told him. "Spent a night at Abigail's when you first left. It's easier to be alone in the bed when I'm not alone in the house at the same time. Gives me time to get used to it," she confessed. "What are you reading?" she asked, peering at the book that Jack had previously discarded.

"Great Expectations. I picked it out from your collection. It was either this or War and Peace, but I won't read anything that I can't lift," Jack said with a twinkle in his eye.

Elizabeth turned her head up to face Jack, a matching twinkle to be seen.

"A strong Mountie? Can't lift a book?" she teased.

Jack simply smirked at her. "Maybe you might like to read it to me?"

"Hmmm…. How was your time in Rock Creek?" Elizabeth asked changing the subject.

Jack pulled her a slight bit closer as Elizabeth laid her hand down onto his chest. He brought up his fingers up to her head and begun to caress her hair.

"Same as always. I met a new constable, fresh out of the academy. Constable George Butler, he's learning the ropes out on the western frontier. Nice young constable, a little bit green however I am sure he will learn, very eager to get to know things. And he wasn't interested in the having a job in the big city; he really wanted a posting out in the west. You know, Elizabeth, a few years ago I probably would have tried to convince him that for a young Mountie just starting out it would be more wise to want a city posting…"

"And now?" came the sleepy reply as she snuggled further into his chest. Jack continued to absentmindedly run his fingers through her hair.

"I believe that a rural placement can be a teaching lesson just as much as chasing the criminals in the big towns. If I've learnt anything, Hope Valley has provided me with just as much excitement as I could have in Cape Fullerton. And this life has provided me experiences that I would never had in a busy shipping port. And being a sole Mountie in a town means that I've had to learn to do jobs that might have otherwise been passed onto a more senior officer. And if I hadn't been here, I wouldn't have met you," he finished.

Silence met him. Jack glanced down towards the sleeping form that was his wife. Jack smiled slightly, "Well, I must be so interesting that I can put people to sleep," Jack chuckled under this breath.

Actually he found himself quite enjoying this silence and just being in the moment with Elizabeth curled up in his embrace. Whilst Jack enjoyed his life as a Mountie, it was nice to come back to a warm house and someone to come home to. He wondered how long Elizabeth would stay asleep here on the couch; experience had taught him that whilst they both enjoyed curling up in front of a warm fire, rarely did Elizabeth stay asleep for a long period; it was not the most comfortable position to spend an entire night in.

Pulling her slight tighter still, Jack reached out for his book and continued to read.

Before he knew it, Jack was finding himself waking up, book strewn on the floor and arm flung over the arm of the couch. Looking up at the large living room clock, he found that it was at least an hour or so since he had first picked up his book. Glancing down, he found the still sleeping Elizabeth who had managed to snuggle down into his form even more. Brushing the hair out of her face, he smiled again.

He eased himself out from underneath her, allowing her to lie fully on the couch, managing to do so without waking her. Turning around, he stoked the fire and gave Rip a scratch behind the ears. Smiling to himself, he gently lifted Elizabeth into his arms and headed towards the bedroom.

* * *

Elizabeth yawned and arched her back slightly the next morning. She stretched her arms out to where she believed Jack to be, yet she found the bed empty. Turning the other way, she looked up at the clock to find the hour still early. Confused she swung herself out of bed, intent on finding where Jack had seemingly disappeared to. On her way to the closet she noticed a piece of paper on her dresser.

 _My dearest Elizabeth,_

 _Woke early and decided to get an early start at the jail and didn't have the heart to wake you. I thought if I got an early start I could be home early. So we could have a romantic dinner tonight._

 _Jack_

Elizabeth smiled as she placed the note into her journal, along with all the many notes that Jack had begun leaving for her. She treasured each and every one of them.

As she got ready for the day, she decided that if she dropped off her basket off at the schoolhouse now, she might be able to see Jack before school started. She might even be able to surprise him with a breakfast from Abigail's.

Before long she was locking up the schoolhouse and heading towards the town. She decided to make a quick stop at the mercantile to pick up some pencils for the classroom before getting breakfast.

"Good morning Mr Yost," Elizabeth greeted as she walked in the door.

"Mrs Thornton, how are you this morning?"

"Well, thank you. I was wondering if I could pick up a few boxes of pencils?"

"Certainly," he replied as he looked around, checking under the counter for where he kept the stationery supplies for the school teacher.

"Oh, and there is a telegram for you also," he told her as passed over the boxes.

Elizabeth smiled as she opened the door. "Thank you," she said as she bid him farewell.

Unfolding the paper, she read the telegram from her parents as she began to walk towards the jail.

 _Dear Elizabeth,_

 _Viola and Lionel will be returning to Hamilton in the next few weeks, they will be bring baby Mary too. Mother and I expect that you and Jack will also be gracing us with your presence whilst they are visiting. Telegram when you have made your travel plans._

 _Father_

Elizabeth frowned slightly as she stopped outside the jail. Since Viola and Lionel had married, rather than moving back to England where Lionel came from, they had instead moved to New York and made a life for themselves there. They had only been to visit Canada once since they had moved and that was for Elizabeth and Jack's wedding and that wasn't a very long visit. According to a telegram from Julie, Viola had delivered a healthy baby girl five months ago. Elizabeth on the other hand, was yet to have heard from Viola.

Hand poised over the jail's doorknob, Elizabeth thought that she caught a flash of red serge out of the corner of her eye. She turned around fully to see if she had missed Jack, but she saw nothing. She shook her head slightly as she turned the doorknob.

Opening the door, she found Jack sitting at her desk hurriedly writing something. He didn't even look up at sound of her entering the room.

"Jack," she softly called.

Jack's head jerked up at the sound of her voice. A smile spread over his face and he pushed the chair out to get up.

"Good morning," he whispered as he took her into his arms, placing a kiss on her lips.

"Morning," she replied as she rested her forehead against his.

"Did you sleep well?"

Elizabeth nodded. "I don't remember quite how I got into to bed though."

"Yes, it wasn't quite the homecoming that I was imagining," he teased gently.

"Oh Jack, I am sorry. It's been a long week," she apologised as she started to pull away.

"Hey, hey," Jack tightened his hold on her waist and pulled her closer. "It's okay. I was only teasing… However if you want to make it up to me tonight…" he commented suggestibly.

"Constable Thornton!" Elizabeth's shocked voice rang out.

"What? It's proper, we're married," Jack told her as he dipped her slightly and leaned down to kiss her.

Once air became an issue, Jack pulled her upright. "I love you," Jack told her, slightly breathless.

A small smile graced her face and she began to play with the whips of hair on the nape of his neck.

"Well then," she whispered as she tilted her head up for a kiss as Jack circled his arms around her waist.

Neither of them heard the door open.

"Ahem…" a voice cleared nervously.

Jack and Elizabeth sprang apart, Elizabeth's face turning as red as Jack's tunic.

Standing in front of them was a young Mountie, looking slightly flustered at what he had just witnessed.

"George?" Jack questioned. "George, what are you doing here?"

The Mountie shook his head in an attempt to pull himself out to the state of daze he seemed to be in.

"Sorry Constable Thornton," came the reply along with a salute.

"Elizabeth, this is Constable George Butler," he introduced. "The constable who I meet whilst I was working Rock Creek. And George, this is my wife Elizabeth."

"Mrs Thornton, what a pleasure to meet you. Your husband was most helpful last week on my first week on the job."

"Jack, I am just going to be on my way to Abigail's for breakfast. Perhaps when you and George have finished here, you might like to join me before I head to work?"

"Certainly," Jack replied.

"It was lovely to meet you George," Elizabeth told him as she headed towards the door.

George tipped his head slightly in reply. Elizabeth smiled surreptitiously at Jack as she left.

"So George, what brings you to Hope Valley?" Jack questioned again as he sat down behind his desk.

George pulled hat off and placed it on the desk as he unbuttoned his top pocket to pull out an official looking letter. Jack looked confused as he put out his hand to receive it.

Jack's eyes widen as he skimmed the letter from the head office in Hamilton.

"I've been reassigned to Hamilton…" Jack commented. "And you're here to take over?"

* * *

 **As always thanks for reading ~ Em**


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry it's taken so long to get to Chapter Two. There are only a few more weeks left of the school year, and I've been caught up with everything that goes along with that. And I've actually had a few problems with where this story was going. Here's to hoping that the next chapter doesn't take that long.**

 **Happy Reading ~ Em**

* * *

Jack sat there stunned. A transfer? How could this even be? After the Tolliver Gang he had been given his pick of assignments. He had chosen to make Hope Valley as his career posting. To his knowledge it would be unlikely for him to receive a transfer, especially as he hadn't requested one. He was under the impression that Hope Valley would be permanent. Just as he had mentioned to Elizabeth the previous night, he wasn't interested in perusing a career in the big city. He mulled it over for a few moments.

"Constable Thornton?" George's voice broke through his thoughts. "Constable Thornton?"

"George… Sorry. I'm just confused by this telegram from divisional headquarters."

"Yes. I was surprised that I was granted this post. Especially since I heard that this was not a post that would be up on the roster, Constable Thornton."

"Please, it's Jack, none of this Constable Thornton business," replied Jack. "Yes Hope Valley is my career post. I do not understand why I have been transferred," confirmed Jack.

"And what would happen if you refused?" questioned George.

Jack shrugged slightly as he tossed the letter back onto the desk.

"I don't know. Normally a refusal would be the end of a career, but I don't know. But it's something that I need to talk to division about. And George, I'm sure that you'll find your right post too."

George looked up from the spot on the floor that he had been starting at.

"Well since you're here and I've got two weeks before I need to report to Hamilton, I can teach you the ropes of a small town," Jack told him. "I just need to send a telegram to Superintendent Houghton, but first we should have breakfast. There's a nice café just across the street, Abigail's. And am I right to assume that you haven't sorted out anywhere to stay yet?"

George shook his head.

"Well… I can suggest right here," Jack told him.

"Here? In the jail?" asked George, sounding unsure about staying in a jail of all places.

"The bed in the jail is not as hard as you may think and is slightly more comfortable than the saloon," confirmed Jack. "Breakfast then…"

* * *

Jack opened the door to the café to a fairly quiet café actually. He had obviously lost track of time and they had missed the morning rush.

"Ah Jack," Abigail greeted. "You've just missed Elizabeth."

"Oh… I got caught up with George and didn't make it across. I wonder if I rush, I might see her before school starts," Jack mused.

"Jack, it's later than you think. I believe school might have already begun…" she informed him. "Would you like some breakfast?"

"Yes, just the usual," he commented with a twinkle in his eye.

"And what can I get you, Constable…?" Abigail asked, turning her attention to George.

George looked up at the woman with slightly confused look on his face. Looking down slightly at the red serge he was wearing, a slow realisation spreading across his face.

"Abigail, this is Constable George Butler," Jack introduced. "George, Mrs Abigail Stanton, the owner of the café and a friend of ours. George is a new Constable who I worked with in Rock Creek."

Abigail held her hand out to welcome George. "Welcome to Hope Valley Constable Butler, will you be staying long?"

George smiled briefly.

"Mrs Stanton," he replied. "I am not sure how long I will be here. The regional office has just transferred me over to Hope Valley."

Abigail was taken back.

"Two constables in Hope Valley Jack?" she questioned. "I know the town is growing, however how is it we are able to warrant two Mounties?"

Jack shook his head sightly. "They aren't assigning another Mountie, they are re-assigning me."

Abigail's mouth dropped open slightly, a confused look on her face.

"Pardon me?"

"I received a letter informing me of my transfer to Hamilton," Jack confirmed, looking down at the table.

"Elizabeth didn't mention anything when she came by for breakfast. And I would have thought that she wouldn't have looked quite so cheery if you were moving to Hamilton. What is going to happen here? When will you both be moving?" Abigail asked.

Jack held up a hand, ceasing Abigail's commentary.

"Elizabeth doesn't know," he quietly replied.

Abigail raised an eyebrow.

"Elizabeth doesn't know?" she repeated slowly, placing the coffee pot down on the table. "Do you have a death wish?"

George chuckled softly. Jack's head snapped back up and glared at him, and all traces of the smile disappeared off George's face.

"George only just came into town with my new orders. I haven't even had the chance to say anything to her," sighed Jack. "I just need to get this sorted out with my superiors."

"Jack!" Abigail admonished. "If you send a telegram without telling Elizabeth she may very well find out from someone around the town. And am I right to assume that George will be staying here in Hope Valley?"

"That I will, Mrs Stanton," confirmed George.

"And how will you explain that to Elizabeth?" asked Abigail. "Have you learned nothing Jack?"

Jack smiled slightly and shook his head. "I'll bring it up tonight. Not quite the homecoming either of us were expecting."

* * *

Elizabeth walked through the door late that afternoon, sighing as she did so. Placing her basket on the living room desk, she removed her coat hanging it up as she went. Following her nose, she walked into the kitchen to find Jack cooking, still with most of his uniform on. Whilst he had discarded his red serge, he still had on his jodhpurs and blue undershirt on. Elizabeth found this slightly odd as normally when he came home for the day his uniform would be removed. If he was only home for dinner the only part of his uniform that came off was his belt, his jacket would normally stay on. It was very rare for him to walk around with only his undershirt on.

"I for one will be glad when school ends next week," Elizabeth commented as she sank down into a chair nearby.

"It is quite late in the afternoon for you to come home," commented Jack.

"There was a stack of papers that I wished to finish grading before tomorrow. If I complete my grading a school I don't have to bring it home. And I believe that all my lesson plans are complete for the next week, with some homework for the summer break too."

"If you want to get washed up, dinner should be ready soon."

"You are too good to me Jack Thornton," Elizabeth commented as she reached Jack and leant up for a kiss. "Much too good to me."

"I wonder if you'll be saying that after dinner," Jack commented under his breath as he watched Elizabeth walk away.

Before long Elizabeth was back, ready to eat.

"I'm just going to get out of this uniform, if you would mind setting the table?" asked Jack.

Elizabeth hooked a finger under the back strap of Jack's suspenders as he walked past her, effectively stopping him in his tracks and causing him to take a step back. Turning around to face her, Jack saw the fire in her eyes.

"Do you know what your uniform does to me?" Elizabeth asked in a low voice, pushing his suspenders off his shoulders.

Jack smirked as he wrapped his arm around her waist, leaning down to capture her lips. Without breaking contact, he swung her around and backed her up against the wall. Elizabeth smiled as she caught her breath, sliding her hands up Jack's shirt, toying with the buttons.

Jack eyed the stove and the pot that sat atop of it. He pulled away slightly, causing Elizabeth to whimper slightly at the loss of contact.

"Just a minute, my love. I do believe that if I don't move that pot, my dinner may end up looking like yours," Jack teased.

Elizabeth looked indignant. "My cooking has improved vastly thank you very much!" she replied with a slight stomp of her foot. Whilst her cooking had improved slightly since they had been married, it was still a bone of contention with Elizabeth.

Jack smirked slightly as he scooted the pot off the stove, as Elizabeth huffed away.

"You have been eating my cooking for the past year or so without complaining too much," she ranted on.

Jack stood back slightly as he watched Elizabeth storm around the kitchen, firmly placing the crockery on the table, muttering under her breath. With a half smile on his face, he waited for her to come past. As she rushed pass, he reached out to grab a handful of skirt. Elizabeth gasped with surprise. Sliding his arms around her waist, he spun her around and kissed her soundlessly.

He began to move his feet, pushing Elizabeth towards the doorway without breaking contact with her.

"I didn't say that I didn't like your cooking," he whispered into her ear. "But there are other things that we could be doing, other things that we _were_ doing."

"Is that right Mr Thornton?" Elizabeth asked as she allowed her hands to snake their way up his chest.

"It is," he replied as he brushed the hair out of her face.

"So those suspenders Constable…"

"Hmm," Jack replied as he kicked the door to the bedroom shut.

* * *

A cold dinner later, Jack was still thinking of how he was even going to bring the transfer up.

He allowed his mind to wander as Elizabeth curled up next to him on the couch, he hadn't even noticed that she was playing with his shirt buttons and had begun to slowly undo the top ones.

Elizabeth paused when she reached the third button, sneaking a look up at Jack as she stroked her index finger along the bare skin that she had exposed. Whilst she wasn't usually this forward, she hadn't expected Jack not to have reacted at all. As she looked up she found that Jack had a stern look on his face and was gazing off into the distance. Elizabeth wondered what was causing Jack to completely ignore her.

"Jack," she softly called as she placed her hand gently on his upper thigh.

"Hmmm…" came the distracted reply

Trailing a finger up his leg, she continued "Jack… What's going on in there?"

Still no reply came, so Elizabeth decided to take matters into her own hands. Reaching up, she brushed her nose up against Jack's cheek. As he turned his face towards her, a look of surprise on his face, she took the opportunity to capture his lips.

Pulling away slightly, Jack looked down at her. "Elizabeth."

"What's going on in there?" she repeated, tapping her fingers against his temple.

Jack looked down and away. Elizabeth pulled completely back, allowing her hands to drop onto her lap.

"Jack?" she questioned.

"Elizabeth…" he started slowly. "How was your day?"

"Jack Thornton, I know you, don't avoid what you really need to say."

"Elizabeth," he started again, with a slight shake of his head. "I haven't asked you about your day. I always ask you about your day."

Elizabeth scoffed slightly. "Has this something to do with Constable Butler? Is something going on with your job?"

Jack refused to say a word.

"Jack Thornton, you stubborn constable," Elizabeth huffed as she withdrew from him completely, shuffling away on the couch from him.

"You first," Jack insisted.

Elizabeth stared at him for a few seconds. He only stared back. Finally she took a breath and sighed.

"I received a telegram from Father today. Viola and Lionel will be in Hamilton on a holiday over the summer, Mother and Father expect us to be coming back to visit also. I was thinking when school breaks for summer, we may be able to visit for a week or so. What do you think? Will you be able to have some time off for a family visit?" she questioned.

"We'll be seeing them sooner than you think," Jack mumbled under his breath.

"Hmmm?" questioned Elizabeth. "What was that?"

Jack took a breath and turned slightly to face Elizabeth. He reached out to grasp her hands in his, his thumb starting to rub over the back of hers.

"Elizabeth," he began. "I received a letter from Regional Headquarters today."

"Yes."

"I've been transferred out of Hope Valley…"

"What?"

"I've been transferred to Hamilton," he calmly told her.

"And how long have you known?" Elizabeth coolly asked.

"George came with a letter from Superintendent Houston this morning. That's why he is here, George has been posted to Hope Valley."

"You've known since this morning and you're only now telling me?" Elizabeth questioned her voice beginning to rise slightly.

"I was planning on telling you at dinner, but one thing lead to another." Jack shrugged slightly.

"And I thought that you said Hope Valley was your career post now?"

"You know that a Mountie's life can be unpredictable Elizabeth," Jack tried to explain, a slight irritation starting to become evident in his voice.

"Career posting," emphasised Elizabeth.

"Elizabeth, I didn't ask for this. I don't understand why it has happened. But it has."

"And what about us?" Elizabeth questioned, pulling her hands away from Jack's.

"I don't know," Jack told her, reaching for her hand again. "Elizabeth, please."

"You don't know?" Elizabeth didn't wait for Jack to reply. She rose from the couch, turning quickly on her heel. A few seconds later, Jack heard the bedroom door slam, hard.

Jack sighed, settling his temper. He couldn't quite believe how Elizabeth was taking this. He hadn't expected it to go well, but he had thought that Elizabeth would be at least reasonable. After all, this wasn't his fault. It seemed like she was blaming him for the transfer. He couldn't change anything. Pausing for a moment, he knew that this passion was what made both of them tick, and there wasn't anything that he wouldn't do for Elizabeth. Rising from his position, he knew he had to talk to Elizabeth, and not let her stew in the bedroom.

Taking a few step towards the bedroom, he nearly tripped over Rip.

"Lazy dog," he huffed at Rip.

Pausing outside the door, he settled himself again before knocking on his own bedroom door.

"Elizabeth," he called out.

Silence meet him. "I'm coming in," he told her, but still nothing.

Carefully he pushed open the door. Elizabeth was curled up on her side of the bed, clutching a pillow to her chest.

"Elizabeth," he started as he made his way over to her side.

"How could you Jack?"

"Sorry?"

"How could you keep something this big from me?" she accused.

Jack opened his mouth, yet she didn't allow him the chance to reply.

"How can you not know what is going to happen with us? I can't just up and leave Hope Valley, the children need me!"

"But Elizabeth…"

"We can't just leave Hope Valley. And you can't be in Hamilton and leave me here in Hope Valley. What kind of marriage will that be?"

"Elizabeth, I haven't done anything"

"Exactly Jack Thornton, you haven't done anything yet!" Elizabeth exploded

It took all of Jack's self-control to not explode and yell as well.

"Elizabeth, look at me," he told her, reaching out to lift her chin to face him. As he did, he took a seat on the side of the bed.

"Elizabeth, I didn't know this was going to happen," he confirmed. "I thought that we would be in Hope Valley for a long while, this is where I am supposed to be. I don't understand why they would be transferring me. Please understand this," he told her as he ran his hands up and down her arms.

Elizabeth looked at him, angry draining from her face.

"Jack I knew when I married you that our lives would never be completely settled. I knew that as a Mountie's wife we could be transferred anywhere, but I wasn't expecting this to happen today," she told him.

"I know," he nodded.

Elizabeth's face and resolve began to crumble. Her shoulders began to shake as the tears started to fall.

"Jack?" she whimpered. "What are we going to do?"

Jack unsure of what to say simply gathered her up in his arms as she began to sob uncontrollably. Jack pulled her closer and ran his hands around her back in a soothing manner.

"I don't know Elizabeth," he whispered in her ear. "But I know that together we can face anything," he reminded her.

Scooting around on the bed, Jack brought them into the middle of the bed, holding her until she was completely out of tears. Conversation had ended for the night, but the unknown future that was now ahead of them both made for a fitful night's sleep for both Jack and Elizabeth.

* * *

 **As always reviews are most welcomed.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Wow Hearties it's been a while since I updated. As with many people real life gets in the way. I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas and Boxing Day.**

 **And the new season of WCTH, wasn't it awesome. What did everyone think? Now a bit of a wait to the next episode. I watched it with my mother a few days later and she wanted to know if she only had to wait a week for the next episode... No Mum, a bit longer than that :)**

 **As always a huge thank you to everyone to reviews, thank you for taking the time. And to LisaNY, thank you for taking the time this busy holiday season to edit my story.**

* * *

Elizabeth awoke the next morning with the sunlight pouring through the window. Glancing to her left side she found Jack sprawled out, legs all askew. Stretching slightly, she looked down at what she was wearing. She still had her clothes from yesterday on, her corset was the only item that had been removed. Glancing up at the clock, she found that it was much later in the morning than they would normally rise. It was fine for her as it was a Saturday morning. However, she was sure that Jack still had to complete his rounds this morning, weekend or not.

Slightly panicked she started to relive the previous night. Never in her wildest dreams would she have thought that Jack would have been transferred out of Hope Valley. Whilst she knew that nothing was forever and that Jack could be moved out at any point, she had made peace with that before she married Jack. But nothing had prepared her for the fear that she had felt when Jack had told her that he had been transferred. If she was being completely honest with herself, there had always been a chance that he could have been stationed further out west, more into the wildness. So what was so wrong about the transfer to Hamilton? It was her first home; it was where she grew up and where her life had been. Would it be such a horrible thing to move back to Hamilton, to all the dress salons, to the indoor plumbing, to electricity?

Elizabeth shook her head and carefully pulled herself up into a sitting position, trying not to wake Jack. She was happy teaching in Hope Valley. She loved her life here, their life here. She had Abigail as a wonderful friend who had managed to teach her how to cook, a skill that she was marginally improving on. Elizabeth adored her students; she loved making a difference in their lives. Here she was able to make real connections, none of the superficial relationships that she knew and had experienced in Hamilton. Whilst it wasn't a perfect life, it was the life she wanted. She and Jack had built a life here that was right for them. Was she willing to uproot herself for Jack's job? But on the other hand, how does a marriage survive with her in Hope Valley and him in Hamilton? What type of life? What type of marriage would that be?

Her head was spinning in more directions? Elizabeth remembered a conversation she had had with Mary, her mother-in-law whom had described a time in her own life when the boys had been young and Tom had been stationed away in the wilderness. Rather than uprooting the whole Thornton family, they had spent a period of time separated. What had kept them in one spot were their young children. Elizabeth and Jack did not have that same situation. Mary had not held back when telling Elizabeth of what a strain on their marriage Tom's absences had caused and she had also not apologized for being what Elizabeth had come to call 'Mary's brutal honesty'. But what was facing Elizabeth was not Jack leaving for the wild west, honestly she thought that she would prefer that option. So what was holding her back?

Slipping out of the bed as carefully has she could without waking Jack and without a glance backwards, she slid onto the stool that sat next to her dresser. Reaching into the cupboard that Lee had built into her dresser she withdrew her journal. Flipping her braid over her shoulder, she picked up her pen and began to pour her heart, thoughts and concerns onto the paper in front of her.

A long while later, Elizabeth paused, placing the pen down to re-read everything that she wrote in the hope she would be able to figure out what was twisting at her heart.

Just as being a Mountie was who and what Jack was defined by, being a teacher was her calling. It's all she had ever known; she had taken a job out here in the west almost to prove a point to her family that she was capable of her education. Somewhere along the way she had fallen more passionately in love with everything that surrounded being a teacher. Here in Hope Valley that meant more than just being an educator, she had built relationships with each and every one of her students. She had spent time trying to make their lives better, both in and out of the classroom. There was nothing more rewarding than seeing those children achieve, it gave her a thrill like nothing she had ever known before. All she wanted from this was to be an even better teacher tomorrow and every day after that. This was her passion.

It had suddenly occurred to her, that moving to Hamilton would mean the end of that. Here in Hope Valley, Jack had never thought anything of her continuing her career, none of the residents of Hope Valley had. Jack had encouraged it; he knew how much teaching meant to her. Moving to the big city wouldn't be socially appropriate for her to be Mrs Thornton and teaching. Especially given that seemingly everyone in Hamilton society knew that she had married a Mountie. She was living in a time when women were married and if they had been working, they would leave the job and take up household duties. Moving back to Hamilton, she would be Mrs Jack Thornton, and would be expected to run a household and be a regional division constable's wife. She would have to take on all the roles that came with that. She would never resent what being Jack's wife meant to her. She understood that with Jack's promotion before they were married, it would someday mean that if Jack ever had a command of his own, she would have to be available to the wives of that command and support Jack. She had always imagined however that it would be a very long time away.

If Jack was moved to a posting further out west, the expectations on her wouldn't be the same. Being out west, or ever in a town that was similar to Hope Valley, she may have the ability to put herself into another teaching position. A letter to the teaching board would go a long way to getting another posting, especially in a frontier town, where it was harder to find young women to fill jobs. Whilst it would be harder for her as a married woman, at least another job would be considered for her. This would not even be an option in a big city like Hamilton.

Elizabeth shrieked as she felt a hand gently place itself on her shoulder.

"Elizabeth… It's just me. I'm sorry," Jack apologized as he knelt down. "Sorry I didn't mean to scare you… Elizabeth," the concern was evident in his voice as he caught her face and saw the tears starting to make their way down her face.

Reaching around her, he fished out a handkerchief to start wiping the tears away.

"Oh, my Elizabeth," he whispered. He gathered her up in his arms as she dissolved into tears. Moving her into a standing position, he pulled her close as he maneuvered them towards the edge of the bed to sit down. Whispering soothing comforts into her ear, he gently rubbed her back as sobs shook her body.

Sometime later Elizabeth stilled, all cried out. Sniffing slightly, she looked up at Jack through wet eyes. She opened her mouth, ready to apologise.

"Stop," Jack told her when he brought a finger to her lips. "It's okay, there is no need for apologises," he finished, as he brushed the hairs away from her eyes.

"Jack," Elizabeth started.

"Wait…there's nothing that can't wait until after we've had breakfast," he told her, as he pulled her to her feet and pointed her towards her closet. "Off you go," he said, giving her a smile and slight push.

Elizabeth gave him a slight smile as she watched him start to unbutton his shirt, making a start for the new day.

* * *

Elizabeth hadn't been able to stomach more than a few mouthful of eggs for breakfast, even after encouragement from Jack. He teased her about fainting and the stir that could cause in town.

Sitting in their living room, Elizabeth drew a shaky breath. Jack placed his arm on her bicep, gently giving it a rub and causing her to look up into his warm eyes. As he pulled her close, she tucked her feet up onto the chaise lounge and rested her head on his chest.

"Jack, I just can't bear the thought of moving back to Hamilton," she honestly told him.

Jack looked down at her in surprise, saying nothing, allowing her to continue.

"Moving to Hamilton, near my family, would mean giving up my teaching dream."

Jack's hand reached down towards her face and lifted her chin. Elizabeth pulled back slightly, so she could face him.

"When did I ever say you had to give up your teaching job? I know that any school in Hamilton would be lucky to have you."

"That's just it Jack. No school in Hamilton would want me…"

"What about that prestigious school that courted you?" Jack interrupted.

Elizabeth shook her head and looked down. "They won't have me…not now that I'm Mrs Thornton," she muttered.

Jack pulled back; his features scowled as he started to get up.

"No Jack!" implored Elizabeth, reaching for his hand to pull him back. "No Hamilton school will employ a married woman, no matter who they are," she informed him.

"Well then," Jack started "We'll just have to sort this out. You, my dear Mrs Thornton, belong in the classroom," he commanded as he pressed a kiss to her nose. "I'll send a telegram to regional headquarters, to the superintendent. I'm sure that it will sort itself out."

"Go," she simply said.

"Sorry," came Jack's confused reply.

"It's going to take too long for telegrams to go back and forth from Hamilton to here. You're going to end up needing to be in Hamilton to start your posting. Why not just go to headquarters and speak to them, less chance for miscommunication? Look him in the eye and find out what has caused this," she told him.

"And what about you?"

"I'll be fine Jack. School finishes next week, I have to be here for that."

"And what happens if I have to stay in Hamilton?"

"Then we'll work that out, if we need to. Jack, we will make this okay. You go sort this out and I can travel to Hamilton if I must."

"Elizabeth, I don't want you travelling out by yourself," Jack advised her.

Elizabeth laughed slightly. "I'll be okay, I can figure something out," she told him as she reached up to kiss him.

Jack sighed against her lips. Once Elizabeth got an idea into her mind, there was going to be no changing her mind.

* * *

A few days later, Elizabeth stood on the platform waiting for the stage coach, clinging to Jack's hand, trying to hold back the tears.

"Now George," started Jack. "I'm hoping that I won't be away for many days. Everything should be fine. If you need anything, telegram headquarters. There are manuals in the jail if you need anything. Remember Elizabeth and Abigail are here should you need anything."

"Yes Constable Thornton," came the reply.

"George," sighed Jack.

"Sorry… Jack…Safe travels," he farewelled. "Mrs Thornton," he said as he tipped his hat.

Elizabeth waved slightly as George walked away and towards the jail.

"Jack," she breathed.

"It's not too late Elizabeth, you can come with me."

Elizabeth shook her head. "No. I've got my job here and you have to do yours."

Jack smiled, dimples showing. "You are so special Elizabeth," he told her as he leaned down to kiss her.

The world faded around Elizabeth. She didn't care that they were in broad daylight and that everyone could see them. The only thing that was important to her was her husband.

"Ahem!"

Elizabeth pulled back slightly to find Abigail standing next to them, smiling away. Jack turned to give her a smirk, obviously not at all embarrassed at being caught kissing his wife in public.

"Stage is here Jack," came her apologetic statement.

Elizabeth sighed.

"I'll be back before you know it," Jack told her, before giving her one last kiss.

Abigail gathered Elizabeth up as Jack climbed into the stage. Waving slightly, Jack set off. Abigail passed her a handkerchief, which was gratefully accepted.

"How about some pie?" Abigail asked as the stagecoach disappeared from view.

Elizabeth nodded sadly as she allowed herself to be led towards the café.

'Now Elizabeth," she slightly told herself. 'It's not forever, Jack will be back soon and image what a homecoming it will be.'

* * *

A week or so after Jack left for Hamilton, Elizabeth was handed a letter on her next visit to Yost's Mercantile. Looking slightly shocked upon recognising Jack's handwriting, expecting a telegram rather than a letter, she nevertheless took the letter and tucked it into her basket along with her other purchases.

Once home, she settled down into an armchair, reached for the letter, her heart beating slightly faster. If Jack had good news, she would have expected a telegram telling her when he would be home. When she had seen George at Abigail's Café during breakfast this morning, he had not mentioned anything regarding his position in the town. She assumed that headquarters would have telegrammed him in regards to any transfers that may occur.

Taking a deep breath, she opened the letter to find what Jack had written.

 _My dear Elizabeth,_

 _I am still no closer to understanding why I am here. After a meeting with Superintendent Houghton I have been told that he received word from his superiors that on my behalf a request for a transfer had been lodged. Unfortunately, neither he nor I, have been able to ascertain where this request began. Also to continue the bad news, the superintendent has not been able to find a suitable replacement for me so that I may return to Hope Valley._

 _However, I have been issued a small cottage not too far away from headquarters. Whilst I am stationed out in Hamilton and school is out for the summer, I was hoping you might join me._

 _Hope Rip is watching over you and keeping you safe._

 _Your Jack._

Elizabeth sighed slightly as she folded up with letter. She knew that there was good news at the end of the tunnel and spending some time in Hamilton with Jack might be a lovely getaway for her. It wouldn't be forever, just until Jack sorted out the situation and then they would be returning to Hope Valley.

However, she hadn't travelled by herself since the first time she had travelled out to Hope Valley to take her first teaching appointment. Since then, Jack had always accompanied her. She didn't feel that she could ask Constable Butler, the young man was still learning the ropes of being a policeman out in the western frontier. Of course, she could possibly ask Abigail. Clara was always mentioning that if Abigail needed a holiday she and Rosemary would be able to handle the café for a short while.

Elizabeth shook her head slightly, "Come now Elizabeth, you've crossed a prairie by yourself before for heaven's sake," she muttered to herself. "You can do it again," she told herself.

Pausing momentarily, she remembered Rosemary mentioning that Lee was in need of visiting Cape Fullerton. He would be able to accompany her until she reached the station so she would be able to take the train onto Hamilton.

Nodding to herself, she made up her mind. Hamilton and Jack would be her next stop.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading everyone. Reviews are always appreciated ~Em**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi Hearties. Thank you for all the reviews, unfortunately they aren't showing up on the site. But I have read them all and I want to say thank you for taking the time to read and review. Finally we find out who is behind Jack's transfer request.**

 **Once again thank you to Lisa for reading and editing my work, as always. I loved reading your commentary, gave me a good laugh.**

 **Happy reading Hearties**

* * *

Elizabeth paused at the doorway to her childhood home, well actually if she thought about it, she was standing at the entry to her childhood mansion. Sighing she reached across the doorway to ring the doorbell. Waiting the few moments it took from the butler to come, she looked around her surroundings wishing that Jack was with her. It had been a long journey out from Hope Valley. It was the first time in a long time, if ever, she had travelled back to Hamilton by herself. Lee had accompanied her to Cape Fullerton, saw her safely onto the train and then it had been an uneventful ride to Hamilton in her lonely compartment.

Jack had met her at the train station, even if he had been on duty they had managed to squeeze in a quick sandwich before he was required back at Regional Headquarters.

Over lunch they had discussed Jack's two or so weeks in Hamilton.

" _I can take your luggage with me back to the office so you won't need to take it to your parents and then back again," Jack informed her as the waitress placed a sandwich in front of them both, as they sat in a small caf_ _é_ _just outside the train station._

" _But Jack, it's no trouble to take it to Mother and Father's. I'm sure that it would be more trouble to you to have to take them back to the cottage and then have to go back to headquarters."_

" _I can take them back to the headquarters and place them in my office. I can either bring them with me when I come to your parents or we can take them home when I finish work this afternoon," confirmed Jack. "But Elizabeth, how much did you pack this time?"_

" _Jack! That wasn't funny two years ago, it's not funny now," huffed Elizabeth._

 _Jack smirked slightly._

" _So Hamilton, how is it?"_

" _The Mounties have issued us with a small cottage for as long as we need it. It's only a meagre little thing and I know that it's not what you would be used to here in Hamilton," apologised Jack._

" _Oh Jack, I'm sure it will be fine."_

" _It's not far from headquarters and it's a little small place, with the one bedroom. The kitchen isn't much bigger. However, there is a nice dining room that can fit a few people, Julie would be able to come for dinner if you'd like. It's one saving grace is that there is indoor plumbing."_

 _Elizabeth smiled at the comment. Whilst it wouldn't be the big Thatcher house, it would still be nice._

"… _And it's been updated recently. Previously the force hasn't provided housing to their officers. So as this posting is only temporary, they were able to find something for the both of us. It's there for as long as we need it, but I'm hoping that we won't need to spend your entire summer holidays here in Hamilton," Jack informed her._

" _And how is the work?" Elizabeth inquired, just enjoying hearing Jack talk._

" _Different," confirmed Jack._

" _Different?"_

" _Working in a busy city is different to Hope Valley. Here I am not the only officer to deal with every little problem that arises. It means I'm actually on a roster; there are night shifts to undertake, but rarely have I been called out of my bed to deal with anything. The other officers who hold the same rank seem like good officers. I have a few young bright men who are under my command_ _._ _My own command, did you ever think I would have one of those?" he smiled, his dimples on full display._

 _Elizabeth looked over at him, proud of her husband, knowing that he could take on anything._

" _Of course I did. I know one day you will command the entire force, Mr Thornton," Elizabeth told him, leaning over to place a kiss on his cheek._

" _Elizabeth," breathed Jack as he raised his hand to hook around her chin which allowed him to fully press his lips against hers._

 _Elizabeth felt the blush creep up her face._

" _Jack!" she hissed._

 _He smirked in reply, letting her go. Settling back into his seat, he resumed his commentary on Hamilton._

" _This command is why it's taking so long for me to be returned to Hope Valley," Jack confessed. "They need someone of the same authority to replace me, but they are still no closer to finding someone to do so yet. They have not been able to even work out what or who caused the transfer," he said apologetically._

 _Elizabeth only smiled as he reached over to grasp her hand. She was still content just to sit and allow Jack's words to wash over her._

 _All too soon though, Jack was looking up at the wall clock._

" _My dear Elizabeth, I am needed back at headquarters," he apologised._

 _Elizabeth's smile dimmed slightly._

" _Are you sure?" Elizabeth gently pleaded._

 _The corners of Jack's mouth twitched as he stood to help Elizabeth to her feet._

 _As she stood, Jack pulled her closer and whispered. "I do believe you were flirting with me Mrs Thornton!"_

" _Is it working?" Elizabeth boldly asked, as they left the caf_ _é_ _._

 _Jack closed the gap between them, sliding his arms around her and kissed her softly. Pulling back slightly, Elizabeth gave him a half smile._

" _I love you Elizabeth Thornton," he said softly. "Ring the station when you're ready to be collected," he told her as he opened the door to the car that Mr Thatcher had sent to collect Elizabeth._

 _Placing one last kiss on her hand, he nodded to the driver and let go of Elizabeth's hand._

 _Elizabeth gave him one last longing look before settling into her seat._

Their time together had been much too short, and unfortunately Jack hadn't been able to join her and the family for lunch.

"Miss Elizabeth," the Thatcher's butler greeted her, pulling her out of her reverie.

Elizabeth shook her head slightly and looked up.

"Harold," she greeted warmly. "How are you? Is your family well?"

"They are Miss. Where is your luggage?" he inquired.

"With Jack," confirmed Elizabeth. "Currently sitting at Mountie Headquarters," she managed to say with a straight face.

"You and Mr Thornton won't be staying here? I was under the understanding that you would both be here. Your room has already been prepared," Harold commented, standing aside to allow Elizabeth to pass.

"No," confirmed Elizabeth. "Jack and I will be staying elsewhere this trip."

Harold smiled as he led her towards the living room where the rest of the Thatchers were waiting.

"Mrs Thornton," announced Harold as Elizabeth entered the room. There waiting for her were her parents, Julie and Viola along with her baby daughter.

"Elizabeth!" Julie squealed as she jumped out of her seat and rushed over to embrace her sister.

"Julie," Mrs Thatcher admonished. "Let your sister breathe. Sit back down."

Elizabeth grinned as she watched Julie slink back to her seat, annoyance crossing her face.

"Mother, Father," Elizabeth greeted her parents leaning down to hug them both in turn.

"Viola," she continued as she turned slightly to greet her eldest sister. Walking towards Viola, a small Moses type bassinet placed on the floor caught her eye. After hugging Viola, she crouched down to glance into the basket to meet her niece.

A breath caught in her throat as she pulled the blanket around Mary's face down slightly and gently ran a finger across the baby's soft cheek.

Elizabeth allowed herself a moment to imagine what life would be like with a baby in their family. She could see the wooden cot and change table that Jack would make, with Rip laying next to the dark wooden legs as if he was keeping watch. Letting her imagination run a little further, she saw herself moving slightly in a rocking chair, watching Jack enter the small room that she imagined would be just off their main bedroom. Jack, still in his uniform although his red serge was undone and the belts missing, was carrying a small bundle wrapped up in white blankets. He was holding the bundle slightly upright with the baby's head leaning against his shoulder. He was dancing, or swaying slightly in a way to ensure the baby was being lulled to sleep, whilst singing softly. It was this perfect image that Elizabeth's heart longed for.

"Elizabeth," Viola greeted civilly, pulling Elizabeth out of her little daydream.

Elizabeth turned and smiled at Viola, almost asking permission. As Viola nodded slightly, Elizabeth reached into the bassinet and gently pulled this precious bundle that was her niece towards herself.

Taking a seat next to Julie, Elizabeth turned her attention to Viola. "And where is Lionel today?" Elizabeth inquired, expecting to see her brother-in-law with the family, after all where else would he be.

"He's meeting with some clients in regard to the business back in London," Viola replied, a posh English accent starting to creep in.

"And how is England treating you?"

Viola only nodded her head.

"Viola was telling us about the friends she had made over there and the lovely house she and Lionel have. The grounds sound exquisite! Father and I are planning on visiting them in the fall," Grace filled Elizabeth in.

Elizabeth nodded politely, as she saw Julie roll her eyes out of the corner of her eye.

"Beth, where is Jack?" her father inquired, giving her a hard stare. "I expected him to be here with you. He didn't allow you to travel all this way alone did he?" the disapproval evident in his question.

Elizabeth froze slightly. What was she going to say to them?

"No Father. Jack was required at Police Headquarters; there was some paperwork he needed to bring across from Hope Valley. He sends his apologises for lunch, however he will be here for dinner," Elizabeth informed them, conveniently leaving out how long Jack had already been in Hamilton.

Cradling Mary closer, Elizabeth settled further down on the lounge. She was content to sit there, breathing in the sweet baby smell, enjoying its intoxicating scent and listening to her family talk around her.

Julie turned to her, giving her a knowing smile.

"Julie?" Elizabeth questioned.

"Just wondering how long until you and Jack have an announcement of your own," Julie teased.

"Julie Thatcher," came Elizabeth's slightly shocked reply.

"You can't blame her for asking Elizabeth," Viola's voice rang out.

Elizabeth's head shot up, looking over at both Viola and her mother who was nodding along.

"Elizabeth dear, you and Constable…" started Viola.

"Jack," interjected Elizabeth sternly. "He's family now Viola, it's a not a hard name to learn."

"Nevertheless my dear," continued Grace, "you and… Jack," she managed to get out. "…have been married for a considerable period of time now. People will talk if you do not have children soon."

"Let them talk. It is none of their business," retorted Elizabeth.

"Now Beth," her father took over. "Can you imagine what people will think? They will think that there is something wrong with our bloodline… with our family."

"Well Viola and Lionel have a family…"

"Yes, well Sir Lionel is of slightly different breeding to Jack," sniffed Viola.

Elizabeth recoiled back as if she had been slapped.

"Viola, how dare you," Julie smartly replied. "We couldn't have asked or prayed for a better brother than Jack. Nor any man who cares and would protect our dear sister more than Jack!"

Elizabeth smiled at her younger sister as she juggled Mary to be able to lean over and place a kiss on Julie's cheek.

"Thank you Julie," she honestly said. Turning back to her parents, she settled her emotions. "Whether Jack and I decided to have children now or in the future has nothing to do with our family. It is a decision between us and God, and no one else. I do not care for what might be said in society, they have no place in our relationship. I am still very much learning about my students and my teaching style, and Jack is still enjoying his time as a Mountie in Hope Valley. We have no plans to leave that life behind in a hurry."

William Thatcher's face paled, although Elizabeth was yet to notice.

"Elizabeth, would you like to freshen up? I'm sure your luggage has been taken up to your room. Would you like some time to rest until Jack arrives?" William asked.

"Thank you, but no. Jack and I won't be staying here during our stay here in Hamilton."

"Really, Elizabeth?" Grace

Elizabeth nodded slowly. "Jack and I decided to stay by ourselves whilst on holidays this time. We wanted to visit Tom and Mary while we're here," confirmed Elizabeth.

"I would have assumed that you both would have stayed here, especially whilst Jack is working. Staying here would be easier as you look for a new house to live in," William commented.

"I do hope you won't be living too far away," added Grace.

Elizabeth frowned confusingly at them; she hadn't mentioned that Jack had been transferred to Hamilton. Nothing that she had said would have led them to that conclusion.

"You're moving home?" Julie asked, hope evident in her question.

Elizabeth rose from the lounge with a stony look on her face.

"Father," she stated with an even voice. "Can I see you in your office for a moment please?" she finished as she walked towards Viola and passed Mary into her arms.

* * *

Standing in her father's office, she waited until he had shut the door.

"Beth, dear…" he started.

"No, no Beth dear. I never said anything about Jack working. Why would you assume that Jack would be working whilst he is here?" accused Elizabeth.

"I just assumed that Jack would have to do some work to do with the Mounties whilst he is here," William tried backpedalling.

Elizabeth gave her father her classic scary teacher look.

"I think you know more than you are saying Father. Both you and Mother mentioned looking for a house in Hamilton."

"Beth."

"What have you done?"

The door behind her opened. "Elizabeth, we did what we thought was best for you," Grace told her as she entered the room.

"Beth, have a seat," her father offered.

Elizabeth shook her head. "No! You do not get to dictate where Jack and I live. How we live our lives."

"Elizabeth, how can you expect to continue to live out in the west? When you have a family, you will need your family around you," Grace told her.

Elizabeth scoffed slightly. "Like Viola does?"

"Beth, that's not the same. Lionel has provided well for her, she has many people around her. She is not living in the remote wildness."

"Father, Jack and I are happy in Hope Valley. We have friends around us, friends who would do anything for us. I do not want for anything with Jack. Whilst you might not be comfortable living there, I am. You need to respect the decisions that I make," Elizabeth told them.

Turning to leave, she marched towards the door. Pausing slightly, she looked over her shoulder, "And the next time Jack is in this house, I expect that you apologise to him. You do not have the right to control his career. He is a fine Mountie who is well respected and liked by his colleagues. You are not to mess this up," she firmly told them as she closed the door behind her.

Grace sunk into a chair, looking up at William.

"What have we done?"

Resting a hand on her shoulder he spoke as he looked out the window. "There is nothing wrong with wanting the best for our children," he told her.

Grace shook her head. "I'm not sure we've done the right thing," she replied.

* * *

Elizabeth calmly walked out of the office and towards the front door. Picking up her bag which had been placed on the hallway table, she glanced back. Was it worth walking back into the sitting room to farewell her sisters? She knew that it was the correct thing to do, but all she wanted to do was to see Jack and explain everything. Shaking her head, she walked determinedly towards the door.

"Elizabeth," a voice called from behind her.

"Aunt Agatha?" Elizabeth questioned turning around to face the voice.

Sure enough, Agatha stood in front of Elizabeth.

"Aunt Agatha, I didn't know you were here," exclaimed Elizabeth leaning over to hug her Aunty.

"You seem to be in a rush to leave my dear."

Elizabeth hung her head slightly.

"Beth? What's wrong?"

"Mother and Father are just meddling in my life again," confessed Elizabeth.

Agatha sighed. "What did they do this time?"

"Had Jack transferred to Hamilton. It's been a mystery as to why Jack had been transferred. The message to us was a transfer request had been placed on his behalf and I've just found out who was behind it all."

Agatha had no words for her, simply took her free hand and gave it a big squeeze. "You, my dear, need to go and find your Mountie. My driver is just outside; have him drive you to wherever Jack is."

"Thank you, Aunt Agatha," Elizabeth said, placing a kiss on her cheek.

* * *

A short drive later, Elizabeth was standing in front of Regional Headquarters. Taking a deep breath, she walked towards the door.

How was Jack going to react? He never had liked how her family would meddle in their lives. It was all stemming back to the fact that they never thought that Jack was good enough for her, that as a Mountie he was not enough. By having him transferred to Hamilton, they would expect that Elizabeth would move home and they would have more control in her life.

Walking up to the Mountie on duty, Elizabeth smiled and asked for Jack.

"Who shall I say is asking for him?" the constable enquired.

"His wife," Elizabeth replied.

"Constable Thornton? Jack Thornton? His wife?" the constable confirmed, confusion evident.

Elizabeth looked back at the constable. "Yes, I'm Mrs Jack Thornton," just as confused.

* * *

 _ **There we are Hearties. One mystery solved, to be replaced by another...**_

 _ **Please do feel free to review and I'm always interested to hear what you think about the chapter and what might happen next.**_

 ** _~Em_**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hearties... How many of you went to the reunion? I have loved seeing photos from it, thanks to the lovely Lisa who sent photos to me and told me all about it and to everyone who had photos up on the FB group. I had loved living vicariously through you all.**

 **Again thanks to LisaNY for reading, bouncing and editing for me**

 **Happy reading Em~**

* * *

"I'm sorry Mrs Thornton, Constable Thornton isn't in the office at the moment," the constable told Elizabeth.

Elizabeth's brow furrowed. Why would he bother asking who she was if Jack wasn't even here?

"I'm sorry, Jack isn't here?"

"No ma'am."

"Then why ask who I am?"

The constable looked sheepish and mumbled something.

"I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that," was Elizabeth's reply.

He looked down at his shoes.

"I apologise," he started. "I just wanted to know who you were. I apologise for my inappropriate behaviour."

Elizabeth gave him a small smile. The boy barely looked old enough to be wearing the uniform. She couldn't be upset at him, especially since it had seemed that they didn't know that Jack was married.

Actually that was a confusing fact. How did the officers working with Jack not know he was married? Whilst generally men weren't the most observant people in the world, these were Mounties. And like Jack would say "Mounties – trained to notice more detail than most people." So wouldn't it make sense that they would notice a wedding ring? Jack wore a wedding ring. And with the way Jack had a tendency to stand, hands around his Sam Brown belt, everyone and anyone would notice a wedding band. It was all very confusing.

Elizabeth looked over as she heard the constable continue to speak to her.

"I'm sorry? I missed that." Elizabeth admitted.

The constable gave a slight chuckle.

"That's alright ma'am. I just mentioned that it is also a directive from our inspector that we ask for all names when visitors come into the station; whether the requested constable is available or not.

Elizabeth nodded.

"You mentioned that Jack wasn't in the office. Do you know where I might find him?" inquired Elizabeth.

"I am sorry ma'am, I can't divulge that information," he apologised.

"I understand. Do you know how long he might be?"

"Sorry ma'am, no."

Elizabeth sighed, starting to feel frustrated. She wasn't getting anywhere with this young constable.

"Would it be possible for me to wait from him?"

"Of course Mrs Thornton," he replied, obviously not thinking to offer that option to her before. "We only have those wooden seats, which are not very comfortable," he told her apologetically.

Elizabeth waved him off. "It's fine," she told him as she took a seat.

The constable looked slightly shocked as Elizabeth settled herself down and pulled out a book from her bag. She hadn't changed to a smaller bag after meeting Jack, therefore luckily she had something to keep herself occupied whilst waiting for Jack.

Whilst to anyone who passed her by would have believed that Elizabeth was deeply absorbed in the book she was reading, she most certainly was not. She was almost obsessing over why she had been asked who she was, and why it seemed that it was unknown that Jack was married.

Her mind was racing. Why would it be such an important fact whether or not Jack was married. Why wouldn't it be known? Was she some secret? It was not that Mounties were not allowed to be married. Why was this a secret?

Elizabeth's head darted up as she heard the front door open. In strode two officers, neither were Jack. Elizabeth simply looked back down at her book, a disappointed expression evident on her face.

The older of the two officers paused by Elizabeth.

"Ma'am?" he questioned as he bent down to crouch next to her. "Is there something that I can help you with? I'm Constable Brown," he introduced himself.

"Oh no, thank you. I'm just waiting to see one of your fellow officers," Elizabeth told him. "The constable on duty, I'm sorry I didn't catch his name, told me I could wait here."

"Constable Tremblay," supplied Brown with a smile.

Elizabeth nodded in understanding. "Yes Constable Tremblay mentioned that it was fine for me to wait here."

"That's perfectly alright ma'am. Did he at least offer you a cup of tea or coffee?"

Elizabeth shook her head.

"Well it would be remiss of me not to offer you a cup of something."

"Please don't go to any trouble," Elizabeth told him.

"No trouble at all ma'am. Service that we offer to anyone," he replied with a smile. "What can I get for you?" he inquired as he rose from his current position.

"A black coffee would be nice please," Elizabeth answered.

Brown nodded as he walked off.

Elizabeth watched him walk away for a moment before returning her attention to her book.

Seemingly only a few moments later, Elizabeth noticed the other constable who had walked in with Brown come across the office towards Constable Tremblay. With a slight smile on her face, she returned to her book. There was something about those two constables chatting away that reminded her of the gossip sessions that Florence Blakely would hold.

Elizabeth's ears pricked up as the unknown constable started to speak, loud enough for her to hear, without even having to try. Her eyes however stayed glued to her book.

"Roy," he started. "Who is the pretty lady sitting over there?" he questioned, jerking his head in her general direction.

If Elizabeth had been watching, she would have noticed Roy Tremblay's eyes glance worriedly over at her. As she was seemingly still reading her book and playing them no attention, he had no problems gossiping about what he had found out regarding one of his senior officer's private life.

"That, Fred, this Mrs Thornton," he said.

"What?" Fred replied. "Constable Thornton's brother married that rich Thatcher lady?" he asked with a slight shake of his head. "Would have never believed it…. You must have heard about his brother trying to run away with a rich upper-class lady."

Roy paused for a moment, it had never occurred to him who this lady might actually be. Glancing over at her once more, he took in her appearance. She was very well dressed, obviously she came from money. Not just anyone could afford the style and type of clothing that Elizabeth was currently wearing. And he knew that anyone on a Mountie's wage would be likely unable to afford that clothing. So who was this lady?

"Roy!" Fred muttered as he nudged the now still constable. "Who? And why would she be here?"

"No," confirmed Roy. "That is Constable Thornton's wife."

Fred's eyes went wide. "Constable Thornton?" he asked incredulously. "Are you joking? Jack? Jack Thornton? Are you sure?"

Roy nodded. "She said Mrs Jack Thornton," he confirmed.

"But Jack Thornton? He's married?" Fred was seemingly unable to comprehend.

"From what I've heard," continued Fred. "He _was_ destined for many great things. Topped his class at the Academy, one of their best graduates. Many of the lecturers mentioned him during my time at the Academy."

Roy nodded in agreement.

"I believe this father was also a Mountie… I wonder what's in store for him now he's married to some rich woman. I'm sure she won't like him moving all over the country side," pondered Fred.

Roy continued to nod along. "I heard that his father was killed in the line of duty."

"Imagine even contemplating getting married after something like that happened to your own father. I would have thought that would be enough to put anyone off marrying for life."

At that moment Constable Brown rounded the corner to find Elizabeth staring at the two constables, mouth slightly dropped. He followed her gaze to the turned backs of Fred and Roy. He took a seat next to Elizabeth.

"Thank you," she whispered as she took the proffered cup. Without saying anything else, she returned her attention to the two young constables.

Brown looked at her slightly confused. Unsure of what to do or say, he started to rise until he heard Fred continue to talk.

"Well I suppose Thornton won't be rising up through the ranks then. Not if he can't commit a 100% to the job, instead he'll be passed over," Fred commented smugly.

Brown gave their backs a hard stare and saw Roy uncomfortably roll his shoulders.

"Fred," he began, clearly uncomfortable and it was quite evident in his voice. "Constable Thornton is our superior. We shouldn't be talking about him."

Fred chuckled.

"Lighten up Tremblay," he commented as he clapped Roy on the back. "Me on the other hand, I'll never get married. Maybe he married her for her family money. She certainly looks like she's from money. Well…nothing's going to stop me rising through the ranks," he finished egotistically.

"Nothing except that conceited attitude of yours Constable Wilson," commanded Brown as he placed his hand of the younger man's shoulder.

Fred stiffened, unsure what he should say or do.

"Constable Brown," he acknowledged.

"You can take yourself over to Constable Thornton's office and when he comes back you can explain why you've found yourself in there," Brown ordered. "And you can apologise to Mrs Thornton on your way too."

Fred shuffled towards Elizabeth.

"I apologise Mrs Thornton," he muttered.

"Beg your pardon?" Elizabeth questioned.

Fred drew his gaze from the floor to meet Elizabeth's stern face.

"I apologise for my words Mrs Thornton."

Elizabeth nodded her head slightly, her teacher's look plastered on her face as Fred continued his shuffle towards Jack's office.

Brown looked at him. "And you," he started, turning his attention towards Roy. "You can take Mrs Thornton into the empty interview room. I'm sure she'll be more comfortable in there.

* * *

A short while later Elizabeth glanced up from her seat at the sound of knocking, expecting to see Jack. Her smile dropped slightly when she saw it was Constable Brown.

"Constable Brown," she greeted.

"Mrs Thornton," he replied. "Constable Thornton is back. He asked me to ensure that you were escorted back to his house."

Elizabeth gave him a shocked look. "I'm sorry," she stammered. "Jack's here, but he won't see me?"

"Constable Thornton apologises. He is required here to deal with a situation. He didn't want you to have to wait around for him all night."

"Can I at least see him before I leave?"

Brown shook his head. "Unfortunately not ma'am. He's tied up at the moment."

"Does he know how long he might be?"

Brown again shook his head.

"Oh," Elizabeth spoke. "We have dinner plans with my family."

"Sorry," Brown apologised. "Life of a senior officer. Sometimes the job gets in the way."

Elizabeth's face fell. "Ok," she replied.

"I'll give you a few moments to organise yourself Mrs Thornton and then I'll send Constable Tremblay over to escort you home."

A few moments later Elizabeth allowed herself to be led out of the room, but her head snapped towards the hall as she heard Jack's raised voice.

"He said WHAT?" Jack's voice echoed through headquarters before a door slammed shut.

* * *

Prior to all of this occurring Jack had entered the office ready to end his day and go home to his wife. After spending two weeks away from each other, he was very much looking forward to catching up with her, sitting in front of the fire and hearing all about Hope Valley and everything he had missed.

"Constable," he greeted Tremblay as he passed the front desk.

Tremblay muttered a greeting in reply. As Jack had walked through the door, he had begun shaking in his boots.

Jack didn't take much notice as he started towards his office intent on finishing up everything so he could leave for the day. He had hoped that he would have been finished well before the current time, but he'd been tied up with a job.

"Jack?" Constable Brown stopped him in the hallway before Jack had a chance to reach his office.

"Arthur?" Jack questioned. "Whatever it is can it wait until tomorrow? Elizabeth is in Hamilton and I would very much like to spend some time with her."

Arthur Brown hung his head slightly. "About that Jack…she's in the interview room."

Jack looked up at him confused. "Sorry? Is she ok? What happened?"

"From what I can gather she came in to see you and overheard some things that should not have been said. Long story short, young Fred Wilson is sitting in your office waiting to speak to you."

Jack took a deep breath. "This is going to take a while isn't it?"

Arthur nodded apologetically.

"Fine. Can you make sure someone takes Elizabeth to my house and apologise for me? Then can you meet me in my office?"

"Jack…" Arthur slowly started as he clasped a hand on the other man's shoulder. "Maybe you should have said something about your marriage to Elizabeth," he stated.

"It was none of their business then and it's still none of their business now," Jack replied hotly.

Arthur raised an eyebrow as he watched Jack stalk into his office and ordered Fred to sit down.

"Sir," began Fred, his voice quivering.

"Stop!" ordered Jack. "Now Constable Wilson I am unaware of what you have said or possibly done. I suggest you sit there and think very carefully about what it is you might say to me. I believe that we will wait for Constable Brown to join us," he told the young constable as he paced back and forth in his office.

And that's how Arthur found them a short while later.

"So," started Jack. "How is it exactly that Constable Wilson is sitting in my office and my wife is going home without me?"

"Well, I am not too sure Constable Thornton," began Fred.

Jack glared at him and he cowered slightly.

"When I came back from my rounds with Constable Brown, there was a lady sitting in the front room and I was only inquiring who she might be."

"And from that one comment you ended up in my office?" inquired Jack.

Fred looked down at his boots.

"Constable, you are trying my patience," warned Jack.

"We aren't getting anywhere," commented Arthur. "I too only come in half way through a conversation between Constables Wilson and Tremblay…"

"I was only asking who the lady was," defended Fred

"I believe that commenting about Constable Thornton's wife and mentioning that it might have been that Constable Thornton married her for her family money, is not only asking who the lady is," Arthur said, staring at Fred.

"He said WHAT?" Jack raised his voice and stormed over to the door, slamming it shut.

Jack moved around to stand behind his desk and placed his hands on the flat surface, rocking slightly on his heels.

"Constable Wilson, you better start explaining yourself," he said in a low voice. "And start from the beginning."

"Well sir, in my defence none of us knew that you were married. We were just curious."

"Whether or not I am married is none of your business and it does not explain why you were talking about my wife."

"Constable Thornton, we had many lecturers tell us about how hard working you were when you were at the academy. It never seemed an officer like you would give all of this up to marry."

"Give all what up exactly, Wilson?"

"All of this," Fred commented, looking around the very small office.

"Wilson," Jack sighed. "One day you will realise that whilst the job is rewarding, there is something outside of it too. Go on, what else did you say?"

"I may have first thought that she was one of the Thatcher girls, the one that tried to run away with your brother…"

Jack took a deep breath.

"And then I may have mentioned that you probably wouldn't be getting any more promotions because your wife would want you to stay here in the big city," finished Fred.

"Constable Wilson, just so you know I'm usually stationed in Hope Valley. While it might not be the remote wild west, it most certainly is not a busy city like Hamilton," confirmed Jack.

"And I might have said all of this within ear shot of Mrs Thornton…"

"WHAT?" Jack roared. "You are dismissed for the day, Wilson. Report to me and the Superintendent tomorrow morning at the beginning of your shift."

"But Constable Thornton," stammered Fred. "You can't do that."

"Actually I can! We look after our fellow Mounties, not speculate about them, especially not those who are superior to ourselves. I will not have that happening in my command. Now out!" ordered Jack.

Jack sighed as he watched Wilson leave his office and took a seat.

"Can I get you anything, Jack?" Arthur asked as he leant against the doorframe.

Jack shook his head. "No, I just need to write this report, see the Superintendent and then call it a day."

"Okay, if you need anything I'll be in the main office."

"Let Tremblay know that I'll want to talk to him about what happened today too."

Arthur nodded as he closed the door on his way out.

Jack paused before picking up a pencil and looked at the pile of paperwork that sat before him. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

It was much later that night when Jack finally made it through the door to his Mountie rented house.

"Jack?" Elizabeth's voice floated in from the depths of the house.

"Home!" came the reply as he walked towards the sitting room. As he made it through the doorway, he threw his hat across the table that he had been using as a work desk.

"Rough day?" she questioned as she got up.

"You wouldn't believe it," he told her as he started to loosen and take off his belts.

"You missed dinner with my parents," Elizabeth told him.

"Elizabeth, I am sorry. I was caught up at the office."

Elizabeth nodded. "My parents understood. Speaking of my parents," she started.

"Elizabeth can we do this tomorrow? I am tired and I just want to rest."

"Of course," she told him as she leant up to kiss him only to have him turn his head and look away at the last minute and she caught his cheek. Elizabeth was taken back, Jack never turned away from her kisses unless he was upset about something.

"Jack?" she questioned as she snuck an arm around his waist, running the other hand down his arm. She paused slightly as she reached his fingers and failed to feel metal.

"Jack?" she questioned again as she looked up at him. "Where is your wedding band?"

"Oh," Jack replied, bring his hand up to inspect his left hand. "I don't wear it to work."

Elizabeth took a step back.

"You don't take it off in Hope Valley," commented Elizabeth.

"It's different here," he commented.

"Different?" Elizabeth almost screeched. "Different as in your work colleagues don't even know that I exist?"

"Elizabeth…"

"Actually no, not even that I don't exist… They don't even know that you're married. I understand you might not want to discuss your personal life, but it is almost that you're ashamed of me," Elizabeth said in her best school-teacher manner.

Jack took a step back. "Elizabeth, can we talk about this in the morning. I am very tired and I have a meeting with those constables and the superintendent in the morning. I just want to get out of this uniform and take you to bed."

"No… I want to talk about this now," demanded Elizabeth.

"Elizabeth! What's the difference between now and in a few hours?"

"The difference is that you don't want to talk about it Jack Thornton. Actually you know what? You don't want to talk about it, fine!" she replied as she stormed towards the door.

"Elizabeth! Wait!" Jack called out as she slammed the door. "Urgh!"

Elizabeth stopped as she slammed the door. She hadn't brought her coat out with her and it was chilly outside. Plus she didn't know where she could go. She couldn't go to her parents' house; they would only say 'I told you so'. The support that she craved wasn't here in Hamilton and as cold as it was, she also didn't want to go back into the house and face Jack. She felt so upset that Jack would hide such a big fact about himself. It wasn't that Elizabeth wanted him to talk about his personal life, but to go to the extent of not wearing his wedding ring, he was hiding something.

Elizabeth sighed as she settled down on the top step of the few stairs that led to the house and wrapped her arms around herself in an attempt to warm-up.

"What just happened?" she asked herself.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading Hearties. Shall I go duck for cover now? :)  
As always reviews, thoughts and suggestions are welcome and appreciated.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hearties... A very belated Happy Australia Day and an early Gong Xi Fa Cai (Happy Chinese New Year!)**

 **Sorry this has been a while coming, its been a busy start to the year. However in good news the first week of school has finished... One week down and only 39 to go.**

 **Hope you all enjoy the chapter. I've been binge watching another show with my other favourite Australian actor over the holidays and it has definitely had it's influence on this chapter :) Again thanks to the lovely Lisa for casting an eye on it, thank you thank you!**

* * *

Elizabeth sighed and crossed her arms over her knees which she had brought up towards her body. She looked out over the city lights in front of herself. Shaking her head slightly, she placed her chin down on her arms as a tear slipped down her face. What had happened to there wasn't anything we couldn't faced together. They could do anything, as long as they do it together.

She brought her hand up to her face and wiped her eyes. Hearing the door behind her open, Elizabeth curled up into more of a ball, not willing or ready to even face her husband.

"Hey," came Jack's soft call.

Elizabeth turned away from him.

"Elizabeth I didn't mean to yell at you," he apologised.

"Jack… I don't really want to hear it," she told him as she shivered.

"Elizabeth."

She just shook her head at him. Jack sighed as he shrugged off his jacket. Carefully he draped it around Elizabeth's shoulders and began to rub slightly in an attempt to warm her up.

Elizabeth pushed his hands away.

"Please, Elizabeth."

"No, Jack. I don't want to talk about it now," she told him as she stood up and gave him back his jacket.

Jack sighed as she walked past him. As he heard the door close behind him, he let out another loud sigh. Gathering himself together, he followed her in.

Stopping in the living room he listened for any sounds to let him know where Elizabeth had disappeared to. Hearing silence Jack decided that she had obviously decided that it was time for bed. Glancing up at the clock nearby confirmed that it was near midnight, she probably had the right idea.

Walking into the bedroom, he found Elizabeth already curled up on her usual side of the bed.

"Sweetheart?" Jack decided to tread lightly.

"Jack Thornton, I suggest you just sleep," came her reply.

Jack shook his head slightly. He knew he was in a lot of trouble, especially since Elizabeth never liked to go to bed angry. They always cleared the air if they had any disagreements, those were usually few and far between however. Knowing that since Elizabeth was that angry at him, he should probably just let her be and get ready for bed.

After washing up and getting changed, he stopped by the wardrobe. He hung his red serge jacket up and smoothed it out, making sure he had the rest of his uniform ready for the morning. His next stop was his bedside table. Pulling the drawer open, he fished out his wedding ring. Sliding it back onto its rightful place, he flexed his hand in and out of a fist a few times, getting used to its weight again. Glancing down, he shook his head slightly at the band of gold he wore.

He carefully slipped into bed. Sliding over to her side of the bed, Jack placed a kiss on her cheek. Settling down onto the bed he wrapped an arm around her waist.

Elizabeth huffed as she grabbed his arm and removed it from her body.

Jack pushed himself up onto his elbow and watched her. He raised his hand above her hip, ready to place it down.

"Jack Thornton," she growled and scooted further over.

He brought his hand up to his face, tapping his palm against his forehead repeatedly.

"I love you Elizabeth Thornton," he whispered as he settled down for the night.

Silence met him; it was going to be a long night.

* * *

Jack awoke to an empty bed the next morning, however judging by the smell of coffee wafting through the small house, Elizabeth was obviously awake and making breakfast. Remembering that he had a meeting with the superintendent and Wilson that morning he made plans to get ready for the morning.

Before long he was dressed completely in his uniform, ready to take on the day. As he made his way into the kitchen, he found Elizabeth dressed and cooking eggs on the stove for them both.

"Good morning," he greeted.

Elizabeth turned around, slightly startled by the noise. "Morning," she replied, her voice soft as she turned back towards the stove. "Coffee is nearly ready."

Jack came towards her, slipping an arm around her to reach for the kettle on the stove. Gently placing a kiss on her neck, he brought his hand up to brush away more hair from the nape of her neck to allow him more access.

"Jack," whined Elizabeth. "Breakfast is going to burn."

Jack grinned broadly as he took a step back and grabbed two cups along with the kettle.

Settling down into his chair, he pulled Elizabeth down into his lap as she brought his plate of eggs over, placing a kiss on her lips.

"Jack," she admonished, all with a smile on her face.

Jack raised an eyebrow at her. "I didn't get the welcome home I was expecting."

Elizabeth drew back slightly and removed her arms from Jack's neck.

"Is that so Mr Thornton?" she asked, eyebrows raised.

"Well…" Jack started.

Elizabeth untangled herself from him and walked back towards the stove.

"It's not that big a deal Elizabeth," Jack started.

"Not that big a deal? You kept me a secret from your fellow Mounties. Do you know how that made me feel?" she questioned as she turned back toward him.

"Elizabeth I had my reasons for doing what I did."

"I'm waiting… It's not Mountie's business, not when it actually includes me."

"Elizabeth I can't get into this now… I have a meeting with the superintendent this morning."

"I just want to know why you're not wearing your wedding ring."

Jack sighed, taking a deep breath steadying his temper. "Elizabeth, it's just a piece of jewellery."

"No, it's not Jack. That ring, right there on your finger," she told him as she pointed at Jack's ring. "That ring, it's a symbol of our marriage, our commitment to each other."

"Why are you doing this Elizabeth?" he questioned

"Doing what?"

"Making a big deal over a piece of jewellery?"

Elizabeth sighed as Jack took her hands into his own.

"We'll talk about this later. I promise Elizabeth."

"I just need you to understand what this all means to me."

"And I do Elizabeth, but right now, I need to be a Mountie."

Elizabeth sighed, trying to control her temper.

"I am sorry Elizabeth, I need to go to work," he told her as he leant across to place a kiss on her cheek.

"Jack!"

"Elizabeth," he huffed. "I have a meeting with the superintendent. I need to go. We can talk about this later," he told her as he started towards the door.

"You still haven't finished your eggs."

Jack waved her away. "I'll get a coffee at the office," he told her.

"There's no sense talking about this when you're like this," Elizabeth muttered

Jack whipped around, stopping short of the door.

"Elizabeth?" he questioned.

She just shook her head slightly at him. "Nothing Jack. Have a safe shift," she told him.

He walked back towards her and gathered her up in a hug. "Let's have lunch and we can talk about all of this then. I just don't have the time right now sweetheart." He felt her nodded against his chest. "Meet me at the café around the corner from headquarters?" he asked as he released her

Elizabeth lent up to get a kiss from her husband before he left for the day. Jack smiled against her lips before regretfully pulling away.

Jack gave her a small dimpled smile as he reached for his hat. Closing the door behind himself, he placed his hat on and jogged down the steps of the house. As he stopped at the bottom, he glanced down at his left hand, turning the ring around his finger slightly. He frowned slightly as he tugged at it trying to remove it from his hand. After wiggling it a few moments he managed to pull the band off. Glancing down at the piece sitting in his palm, he pondered it for a few moments, before slipping it into his top pocket and set off towards headquarters.

* * *

"Elizabeth," Jack called out as he watched her enter the cafe.

Elizabeth sighed slightly, smiling over at him in acknowledgement of Jack's greeting. There was no way that she could miss the red serge sitting by the window, even if she tried. She stood for a moment, watching as Jack tapped his left hand on the table. Elizabeth noted a lack of ring on his finger. She kept standing there, mulling over any possible reason why Jack wouldn't be wearing his ring and she kept coming up blank.

"Hey," came Jack's quiet voice, shaking her out of her wondering as he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Hey I got a table over by the window," he told her as he nodded towards where he had been sitting.

"Thanks," she replied.

Elizabeth sat and uncomfortably shifted in her seat as she picked up her menu. Glancing around at her surroundings she locked eyes with Jack. Rolling her shoulders uncomfortably she broke their eye connect. She took a deep breath to steady her nerves, she had never felt this uncomfortable around Jack, not even when they first met that day in the saloon. And now here she was, not having an idea what to say to this man in front of her, her own husband. Placing the menu on the table, she looked at the first item on the menu over and over again.

Jack slid his hand across the table and began to rub his thumb over the back of her hand. Elizabeth tensed and began to slid her hand away. Jack pushed down slightly, effectively trapping her hand down. It wasn't enough to hurt, but she definitely felt trapped.

She struggled for a moment or two before pleading with him, "Jack!"

Jack loosen his grip before he had a chance to say anything, Elizabeth had swiftly moved her hand away.

"So any ideas about what is good to eat here?" she questioned without looking up

"Elizabeth," started Jack.

Elizabeth shook her head and picked up her menu, looking it over and over. "I think I'm going to have a sandwich."

"Elizabeth," he tried again.

"Wonder how they do their turkey and salad sandwich here," she carried on

"Hey."

"Or maybe I could have chicken pie."

"Elizabeth."

"I suppose it won't be as nice as Abigail's… So maybe the sandwich is a better choice."

"ELIZABETH!" Jack raised his voice slightly loud than he had originally intended, bring his hand flat down on the table.

"Jack," Elizabeth hissed gazing around to find a few people looking at her. "As I was saying," she continued in her normal voice. "… I am thinking of having the turkey sandwich. Any idea what you might have?"

Jack brought his hand up off the table slightly, opened his mouth to say something and then stopped, letting his hand fall softly back on the table. He picked his menu back up perusing his options.

"I think I'll have the sandwich too."

Elizabeth gave him a small smile.

"About last night…" he started.

"Not here Jack."

"But Elizabeth, we need to talk. We discussed that this morning."

"No…" she stated firmly. "We did not discuss this, you told me we would talk about this at lunch. You didn't give me a say. You told me," she accused.

"We need to talk about this."

"And I understand that, but we need to do this at home."

"Elizabeth you need to calm down. All this over a ring?"

"No. Not just over a ring. It is a lot more than just a ring. This is about you and how you're hiding me."

"Elizabeth we went over this, all this morning!"

"And you gave me the cold shoulder. You shut me down Jack Thornton," she hissed "You do not get the right to tell me it's just a ring… You have been hiding your wife!"

"I was not hiding you, I was protecting you."

"From what?"

"Everything… This isn't Hope Valley, Elizabeth! This is completely different. I just wanted my tour here to be smooth and trouble-free."

"Trouble-free? Are you telling me that I am the cause of your trouble now?" she glared at him.

"I didn't mean it like that."

"Well it sounded like that… and may I remind you that it was you Jack Thornton who told me I should come to Hamilton."

"And I wanted you; I need you by my side Elizabeth."

Elizabeth let a tear roll down her face.

"Elizabeth, it's you and me," he started softly.

Elizabeth looked over at him.

"What do you mean?"

"This… this right here. It's you and me."

"Jack Thornton, you're hiding something. I know you."

"Elizabeth…"

"I don't understand it Jack, but I'm willing to let it go until you pull your head in and actually let your wife in," she told him sternly.

"Elizabeth, I'm not hiding anything."

"Jack, please," she gave him 'the Elizabeth look'. "You expect me to believe that?"

Jack smirked slightly causing Elizabeth to laugh slightly.

"So wedding ring aside," she started. "You missed dinner at my parents' house last night."

Jack gave a loop sided grin. "Duty called."

"And you seem so upset about that," she baited.

"Well…"

Jack's reply was cut off by a loud noise coming from across the street.

Jack's head whipped around and saw out of the window that the building across the had burst into flames.

Jack pushed his seat and started out the door, with Elizabeth right behind him. He stopped at the street curb and watched people start pouring out of the building.

"Jack… think, stop!" she told him as she pulled on the back of his belt. "Jack, just wait for the fire brigade… This isn't your thing. You're a Mountie!"

"Help!" a women shouted out to Jack. "My daughter is still in the building."

Jack started towards the building.

"Jack!" Elizabeth called out to him.

Jack paused momentarily. He turned back towards Elizabeth and took a step back to her.

Taking her face into his hand, he leaned his forehead against hers. "I've got to do this Elizabeth," he whispered. "I'll be safe, I love you."

"I love you too," she whispered after him, watching him run towards the building.

Elizabeth watched in horror as he went running into the burning building. A few minutes later, the fire brigade and police arrived on the scene.

"Mrs Thornton?" Arthur questioned.

"Arthur…" Elizabeth turned around, tears streaming down her face. "Jack… Jack he's gone in after a missing girl."

"It's ok… He'll be fine. The fire-fighters are here. They'll get him out safely. Hey, Elizabeth…"

Elizabeth looked up at his informality.

"Elizabeth," he repeated. "Jack is a resourceful Mountie, he'll be ok."

Elizabeth nodded slightly.

An explosion drew their attention. Elizabeth watched in horror as black smoke billowed from the top of the building.

"JACK!" as she started towards the building.

"Elizabeth," Arthur started, grabbing onto his arms and holding her back.

"NO!"

"Hey…Shush," Arthur stopped her "He'll be okay."

Elizabeth collapsed into a heap. She began to weep uncontrollably as Arthur lowered her to a seat on the sidewalk.

"Jack..." she wept.

* * *

 **Well, well, well... As always Hearties reviews, comments and suggestions are welcome**

 **Hope you enjoyed ~Em**


	7. Chapter 7

**Wow, it's been over a month since I updated. Please accept my apologies Hearties.**

 **How is everyone enjoying the new season? I've definitely been more inspired to write since season three started, so hopefully there won't be such a long wait to the next chapter. However this chapter has a definite Jesse Spencer vibe to it, sorry about that :)**

* * *

Elizabeth had sunk down into herself, curling up into a ball as she heard the commotion around herself. Along with the regular bustle of a big city like Hamilton, she could hear firefighters shouting out orders and fire equipment hitting the pavement.

"Lieutenant" Arthur called out, gaining the partial attention of the fire personnel who seemed to be in charge.

"Constable?" came the reply, his attention never fully leaving the scene in front of him.

In front of him the building still had smoke billowing from the windows that had been blown out from the explosion. Whilst previously Elizabeth was sure that the smoke had been black, what she saw now was the more traditional grey colour. She knew that black smoke couldn't be a good thing. Fire flames were licking the window frame.

"Lieutenant!" Arthur insisted.

The officer was still locked at the fire in front of him. "The roof needs to be vented!"

"LIEUTENANT!" Arthur tried again, this time much more forcefully.

"What?" the lieutenant's eyes finally leaving the burning building.

"One of our Mounties went in after a child. He hasn't come out yet."

The firefighters' eyes grew wide at this new bit of information. Turning back towards the building, his eyes began scanning the scene around him watching his men working the scene. He heard more glass breaking and wood shattering, obviously the roof being vented. His other men were preparing to start putting the fire out.

Turning the other way, he found himself watching the Mounties ushering people away from the scene. On the side of the road near to the cafe, he could see a crowd gathering to watch the slightly out of control fire.

"How long ago?" He questioned.

Arthur paused slightly.

"How long ago?" he asked again. Arthur stumbled for a moment, not to sure what to answer to the question.

"A few moments before the explosion," came Elizabeth's weak reply.

"Men... STOP! Do not hit it with water!" the lieutenant called out to his men.

His second in command held a fist in the air, effectively stopping all of the work around him. "Lieutenant?" he questioned as he walked towards his commander. "Sir, you don't want us to put the fire out?"

The lieutenant pulled his second in command aside. "There's a Mountie inside..."

"Mounties," the firefighter scoffed. "Don't they know to leave these things to the professionals? What was he thinking?"

"Shh," the lieutenant hissed. "I am most definitely sure that over there is his wife over there," he gestured with his head towards Elizabeth, who was now sat upright a nearby bench with Arthur by her side.

"That's Elizabeth Thatcher," the firefighter replied.

"Who?"

"Elizabeth Thatcher, daughter of the shipping magnate William Thatcher of Thatcher shipping?" came the incredulously reply.

"Well, her husband is in there... He went in after a child."

"Police Officers," the firefighter scoffed again. "Didn't think to wait for the cavalry to arrive?"

"Smith... There was a child in a burning building. All frontline officers would go in after a child. So we need to get them out safely before we put the fire out."

"But Lieutenant, the black smoke..." Smith urged.

"I know. You and I both know that black smoke means that there has probably been a fast moving fire and that smoke has been pushed though the house, meaning that its following the fire. Yes, Smith I went to the same academy as you did."

"And if the smoke was lighter and moving slower, then I would be ok with sending the men into that building, but Lieutenant..."

"I know..." the Lieutenant laboured the point.

Smith sighed. "I understand Lieutenant..." He commented before turning towards the other firefighters. "MEN! Let's move; there is still people inside!"

The surrounding firefighters buttoned up their turnout coats, making sure they all had their helmets on. The fire Lieutenant stood rooted to his spot, unable to look away, but at the same time not comfortable about sending his men towards a burning building.

Arthur locked eyes with the lieutenant and shook his head slightly. Arthur paused, looking towards the burning building, willing his friend to stay safe and out of the building. He was just praying for Jack to be okay.

Only a few moments later, Arthur nudged Elizabeth slightly. "Elizabeth, hey Elizabeth look at me."

Elizabeth refused to look up, her silent tears hitting the pavement. It wasn't meant to be like this. Their lives should never have been in this position; they should have never been in this position. Without her parents meddling, she and Jack would be back in Hope Valley, enjoying her summer holidays.

"Elizabeth!" Arthur tried again.

Elizabeth shook her head, refusing to look up. She had resigned herself to thinking that she had lost her husband forever. She whimpered slightly at the thought. "Jack..." she sobbed. "I just want to go home..."

"No, Elizabeth...Look," Arthur urged.

Reluctantly Elizabeth lifted her head and looked towards the house, watching as the firefighters raced towards the house. She watched the scene unfold before her eyes, hardly daring to believe what was in front of herself. She watched as the front door to the house slowly opened further than Arthur had first noticed. Elizabeth held her breath as she saw grey smoke billowing out as it escaped its previous confinements and a shadowy figure emerged. The figure with more of a black soot covered jacket, rather than the usual bright, clean and smart red serge, he would normally pride himself in wearing.

Tears streamed down Elizabeth's face as Jack stumbled towards the firefighters, young child in his arms. Elizabeth stood, not bothering to wipe away the tears, and started towards Jack. Not bothering to worry about how inappropriate this may look in public and that a lady should hold herself in a certain regard, Elizabeth broke into a run and flung herself into Jack's arms just as he had passed the young child to a nearby officer.

"Hey, hey..." Jack soothed in between coughs.

"Jack," Elizabeth breathed, looking up at him, her hands running over his face looking for any physical signs of damage. She continued to run her hands over his face, neck and began to tangle them into his hair in an attempt to convince herself that Jack was still alive and standing in front of her.

Arthur made his way to towards the couple. After giving them a few moments, he noticed that Jack was struggling to catch his breathe between all of the coughing, likely due to the smoke inhalation. However, it didn't look like he was going to let his wife go anytime soon. Elizabeth started to buckle at the knees, her emotions clearly overwhelming her and Jack was using all of his remaining strength to keep her upright. Arthur wasn't sure how much longer Jack would be able to hold on as he saw his grip on Elizabeth start to loosen.

Slowly Arthur eased Elizabeth off Jack, allowing him room to breath. Once Jack could see that Elizabeth was safe with his friend, he allowed himself to collapse a bit. His hands rested on his knees as he bent over trying to catch his breath in-between all of the coughing he was experiencing. This wasn't an experience that he ever wanted to repeat, he thought to himself. Jack found himself reflecting on the situation and it gave him a whole new respect for the firefighters who ran into burning building to save people. Looking up from his position, he could see Arthur leading Elizabeth back towards the café.

He looked up as he felt a hand clap down on his shoulder. Looking down with concern etched all over his face was the lieutenant who was in command at the scene.

Jack straightened back up to look the man in the eye. "Constable Jack Thornton," he introduced himself, holding his hand straight out.

"Lieutenant John Francis," the firefighter replied as he grabbed Jack's outstretched hand. "How are you feeling, Constable?"

Jack simply nodded his head, unable to speak, for when he opened his mouth to speak he dissolved into a coughing fit.

"Ok, let's get you to the infirmary and get you checked over. Make sure that all that smoke hasn't caused you too much damage," John firmly told him.

"What about... that...little girl?" Jack asked in between coughs.

"She's fine, with her mother. They too will be off to the infirmary to be checked out by the doctor. Now come along..."

"Elizabeth?" Jack inquired as he looked around for his wife.

Arthur, who had overhead the conversation interjected. "It's ok, Jack. You go on ahead with the firefighters and I'll bring her along, right behind you."

"No... I want her to come along with me. She's not leaving my sight," insisted Jack.

Arthur looked ready to argue with him, both Mounties had similar determined looks on their faces. John took in the scene before him and decided to intervene before an argument started.

"Okay, okay..." John stopped them. Motioning to come over to one of his firefighters, he continued, "I'll get Smith here to take you both to the infirmary, how does that sounds?"

Jack started to protest again.

"Jack," warned Elizabeth as she walked towards the group. "Here..." she said as she handed him a glass of water.

Jack raised an eyebrow.

"The owner of the café gave it to me," confessed Elizabeth.

Jack leaned over to hold her hand as he started to drink.

"Not to break up some lovely reunion here Constable, but you really do need to get yourself checked out and my men need to put this fire out."

"Come on Jack," urged Arthur. "I'll let the superintendent know what is happening here and then I'll come over and see you. I'll even take your command today."

"Yeah... Out of the chair for two seconds, and you're already taking my position," teased Jack.

"Away with you Thornton," Arthur told him with a slight shove.

John smiled slightly and turned back to his men. "Men! Pull back...Okay, let's go defensive. Hit that house." the lieutenant ordered.

* * *

A short while later Jack found himself waiting in a small room with Elizabeth by his side. Jack looked around the room at the plain white walls, feeling some tension in the room. Since they sat down Elizabeth hadn't said very much and Jack knew that they would have to have a serious conversation soon. Fiddling with his jacket buttons he fished out his wedding ring from his breast pocket and slipped in back on its rightful place. Elizabeth noticed, but didn't draw attention to it; she simply took his hands into her own and began to play with it.

"How much longer do I need to wait here?" Jack huffed.

"You'll stay as long as the doctor tells you Jack Thornton," Elizabeth told him.

"Elizabeth," started Jack. "About the ring..."

"Shush..." Elizabeth placed a finger over his lips. "Not yet Jack," she told him as she shook her head.

"And the secret that I kept..."

"Jack," Elizabeth pleaded. "We can talk about this later. Right now I just need to know that you're going to be okay," tears starting to well in her eyes.

"Elizabeth," Jack said as he brushed a kiss on the back of her hand. "I'm right here Elizabeth. I'm not going anywhere, I'm okay."

"But it could have been so much worse."

"But it wasn't."

"What if..."

"Elizabeth, don't do this to yourself. Don't play the 'what if' game, it won't end well. Focus on what's right here, right here in front of you," he told her as he ran his fingers through her hair.

Elizabeth gave him a small smile. A moment or two passed before they were interrupted by a knock on the door.

The doctor entered and strode over towards the bed where Jack sat.

"Constable Thornton? I'm Doctor Blake, how are you feeling now? I hear you went into a burning building," the doctor introduced himself.

"I'm feeling much better. How is the young girl and her mother?" Jack inquired.

"They are both well, thanks to you. We're just keeping an eye on them, but I see no complications with the young girl. How is your breathing now?"

"All back to normal," smiled Jack. "So when can I go home from here, Doctor?" he continued as he began to swing his legs off the bed.

Elizabeth placed a hand on his shoulder, applying slight pressure to it in an attempt to ease him back to bed. "Jack, you need to stay in bed. The doctor hasn't said you could go yet," she chided gently.

The doctor gave a slight smile at the couple.

"Constable Thornton, I'm afraid we are going to have to keep you overnight…just for observation."

"But I feel fine now! I would like to get home to my own bed and sleep. I'll be right as rain after a good night's sleep," protested Jack.

"We would really prefer that you stayed here Constable."

"And I would prefer that I went home, instead of taking up a bed," argued back Jack.

"Jack Thornton..." Elizabeth warned, her voice sounding dangerously similar to her stern teacher's voice.

Jack's head snapped up and found that she was also wearing her stern teacher face, the scary Miss Thatcher one.

Jack grumbled as he settled himself back on the bed. Elizabeth satisfied that Jack wasn't going anyway took a seat next to the bed.

"I understand your frustration Mr Thornton..."

"Constable!" enforced Jack.

"Jack," hissed Elizabeth. "Behave!" she muttered under her breath.

"That's okay Mrs Thornton. _Constable_ Thornton, I want you to understand that smoke inhalation has been found to be the number one cause of death relating to fire. Has anyone explained what smoke inhalation actually is?"

Jack shook his head.

"Smoke inhalation occurs when a person breaths in the products of combustion during a fire. Combustion results from the rapid breakdown of a substance by heat, what you and I would call burning. Smoke inhalation usually damages the body by simple asphyxiation; a lack of oxygen."

"Asphyxiation?" questioned Elizabeth.

"Yes, Mrs Thornton. Combustion can simply use up the oxygen near the fire and lead to death when there is no oxygen for a person to breathe. Whilst this hasn't completely happened to your husband, there would have been a lack of oxygen in the house for him to breathe. My concern Constable Thornton is the report from the scene and nurse about your shortness of breath when you first arrived here. Along with your prolonged coughing spells, I am concerned."

"What could happen, doctor?" Elizabeth asked as she gripped a little tighter onto Jack's hand.

"Worst case scenario, due to the low levels of oxygen, the potential complications following smoke inhalation can lead to changes in mental status such as confusion, fainting, seizures or even a coma."

The blood drained away from Elizabeth's face as her other hand groped around the bed for something to grasp onto. Jack noticed and put his hand on her cheek gently forcing her to look him in the eyes.

"Elizabeth," he started softly. "I'm going to be okay... Isn't that right doctor?" He asked looking past her towards the doctor.

"I can never guarantee anything 100% Mrs Thornton, but we are planning to keep a close eye on your husband," replied the doctor.

"See," Jack told Elizabeth as he pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"Jack," Elizabeth chastised as the blush filled her face.

"Its fine, Mrs. Thornton."

"So how long will I have to stay here for?"

"At least overnight," confirmed the doctor. "Oxygen is the mainstay of treatment. So I would like you to wear an oxygen mask, just to help with your breathing. Hopefully you will only have to wear it overnight. We'll re-assess you in the morning."

"And after that?" Elizabeth inquired.

"Depending on how you are breathing in the morning Constable, we are likely to discharge you. However, I do want to caution you that you may likely experience shortness of breath even with minimal exertion. It may take time for your lungs to fully heal. Taking all of this into consideration, I would recommend at least a week off of work. Nevertheless, I will re-assess this again in the morning."

Jack sighed slightly, "I understand."

"If there are no other questions, I'll send in the nurse to set up the oxygen," the doctor told them.

Jack looked over at Elizabeth who shook her head.

"No, I think we both understand everything," Jack told the doctor.

"Ok then, I'll see you in the morning then. Constable, Mrs Thornton," Doctor Blake nodded before he exited the room.

Elizabeth's head dropped slightly as she heard the door close.

"Elizabeth... It's going to be okay..."

"If only that were true Jack," she replied.

* * *

 **Hope you enjoyed Hearties. As always thanks to LisaNY to editing and bouncing ideas.**

 **Fingers crossed that Jack and Elizabeth finally have a conversation about their secrets next chapter**


	8. Chapter 8

**How long has it been Hearties? I think Season 3 might have just passed me by :) So here you go, finally a resolution to many things that were going on in Elizabeth and Jack's lives. It an extra LONG chapter for you all to as apologies for making you all wait so long, but I really did struggle to write this.**

 **Hope you enjoy...**

* * *

Elizabeth rubbed her eyes tiredly as she stood at the entrance to the infirmary. Her usual problem of being unable to sleep without Jack by her side had been amplified last night as she attempted to sleep alone in a strange bed. Over the years of living in Hope Valley, she had become accustomed to the sounds and mostly silences during the night. However in a bustling city like Hamilton, there had been many strange noises, all of which had kept her awake. But Elizabeth knew that the new environment wasn't the only change that had contributed to her sleepless night. Honestly, whilst she and Jack had had their fair share of spats, what couple hadn't? Both Thorntons were strong-willed and stubborn, but they both took Abigail's advice to heart at the wedding when she had reminded them 'to never let the sun go down on an argument.' They really had tried to live by that rule. That was until two nights ago, when Elizabeth had arrived in Hamilton. They had disagreed and she walked out on him. Elizabeth brushed a tear away from her eye as she thought back upon that night. She had wanted to punish him, so because of her desire to do so she had turned over in bed that night and ignored him. Jack had tried to push her into talking to him. He had tried to warm her up and comfort her. He had tried to have a conversation with her in bed and reminded her that he loved her.

That brought a fresh set of tears for Elizabeth. She had ignored his usual declaration of love for her, kept silent that whole night. Then they had started yesterday off in a rough way and again she hadn't told him that she loved him. She watched him walked out the front door, wearing his wedding ring and not mentioned that little fact to him, nor had she even felt any remorse over not uttering those three little words. Then, she later had watched him run into a burning building and she still hadn't even told him that she loved him since she had arrived in Hamilton.

Elizabeth found herself leaning up against a nearby wall, just inside of the infirmary.

"Get a grip on yourself, Elizabeth," she whispered. She drew a shaky breath in, knowing she needed to calm herself down before she saw Jack.

She felt all of the anger dissipate. All of the annoyance of being kept a secret from Jack's work colleagues, that Jack wasn't wearing his wedding band. Everything that she was mad about was disappearing. Suddenly it wasn't important. It wasn't important that Jack had decided, for whatever reason, to not wear his wedding ring. It was ultimately Jack's decision. How could she question that? _'Husbands love your wives... Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands, as you do to your Lord'_ … Parts of the Ephesians verses suddenly sprung to her mind.

Elizabeth felt her heart start to race, her breathing became almost erratic. She knew that she had been hot and cold with her husband. Elizabeth glanced around at her surroundings, looking for a place to sit. Finding a small bench, not to far away from the entry, she lowered herself down pulling her coat tighter to her body. Placing a hand over her heart, she could feel it racing as thoughts ran through her mind at roughly the same pace. Unsure what was even causing her to feel this way, she believed that she had made peace with the idea that Jack's fellow officers were unaware that she was his wife, or that he was even married. Whilst she was still confused over the idea that Jack wasn't wearing his ring and there was no sensible reasoning in her mind as to why that might be happening, she believed that she had made peace with it.

Struggling to catch her breath, Elizabeth lowered her head and tried to slow her breathing down. There was no way that she would be able to face Jack now. No matter how much she continued telling herself that she was okay with being a secret, Elizabeth couldn't reconcile why it really was that Jack was keeping her a secret. There was nothing in her past that Jack would ever be embarrassed about. Elizabeth was from an upstanding and well liked Hamilton society family. It was a connection that many people would love to make; the same connection that Jack was so willing to hide from people. And with that, Elizabeth's anger began to boil as fast as it had only moments disappeared. Elizabeth pushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear as she took a deep calming breath and stood.

* * *

Elizabeth stood outside the infirmary, not sure about what was happening. She had no idea what she was going to do, where she was going to go, just as long as she was leaving the infirmary. She just was not able to face Jack right now. She needed to clear her head, looking down at the wristwatch her father had given her for Christmas, she found that is was still early enough that Jack wouldn't miss her if she didn't come into visit him right now. She still had time. Glancing to her right, then her left and back to her right again, she couldn't think of anywhere to go. The part of Hamilton where the infirmary was situated in was not all that familiar to Elizabeth, she was not sure if there was a restaurant, café or even a dress shop in a nearby location that she could spend some time in. She sighed and let her shoulders drop slightly, before she turned and walked back into the building. Slowly she made way towards the nurse's reception desk.

She slowly cleared her throat to gain the attention of the nurse whom was sitting at the desk. "Excuse me," Elizabeth gently started.

The older nurse glanced up and gave her a warm smile.

"I was wondering if you would be able to tell me which room Constable Jack Thornton ended up in last night?" she inquired. "I am his wife Elizabeth," she supplied before the nurse was able to ask.

The nurse nodded slightly before looking down to her book to flip through to find the information that Elizabeth wanted.

"Mr. Thornton is upstairs on the first floor, in the ward to the right; he should be in room 3. You should check in with the duty nurse to confirm the room," the nurse replied with a smile.

Elizabeth gave her a weak smile as she thanked her. As Elizabeth walked towards the stairs, she noticed a sign for the infirmary cafe. Nodding slightly to herself, Elizabeth took a turn to walk towards a cup of tea or coffee, determined to spend some time trying to make sense of what was happening in her mind and more importantly, her heart.

After ordering a cup of tea and slice of something sweet, Elizabeth settled herself in a corner of the very busy café. She picked up the tea cup, pausing halfway to her mouth to gaze out of the window that was to her right. It was a fairly cool morning, so she continued to warm her hands around the small cup the best she could as she watched the world go by outside that small window. Elizabeth wondered about each of those people walking by, what was their story? That young girl who was huddling into herself, what was her life like? Was she withdrawn because she was ill, or was someone in her family been taken unwell? Was the weight of the world on her shoulders? Or was she naturally a shy, retiring person? What about the older gentleman with the small smile on his face over the corner?

She was so caught up in her own musings that she didn't hear an older couple calling out to her. She jumped out of her seat slightly as she felt a hand gently placed on her shoulder. Placing her full cup on the table and laying a hand on her chest, Elizabeth turned around in her seat to find herself face to face with an older lady with warm friendly eyes.

"Oh Miss, I am so sorry. I was unaware that you hadn't heard me calling out to you. I am sorry to have disturbed you," the lady apologised.

Elizabeth gave her a weak smile and shook her head slightly.

"I was only wondering if we would be able to share your table. Normally we would never impose, but as you can see there are no empty seats around," she asked Elizabeth.

"Please," Elizabeth told her, gesturing to the empty seat across from her.

Elizabeth tried to subtly watch as the husband placed their cups of tea down before pulling out a chair for his wife to sit down, all the while his wife smiled fondly at him. Elizabeth placed a hand over her heart as she watched these two settle down to a drink and a chat.

Elizabeth just wasn't able to tear her eyes away from them as she watched the gentleman take his wife's hand into his own and suddenly Elizabeth thought of Jack. Her mind instantly went to all of the times that she and Jack were at home, the café, or even at the church, and he would slide his hand over towards hers. Elizabeth thought about how he would gently take her soft hands into his own bigger, stronger ones. She blushed at the memories and sighed softly.

"Excuse me dear," the lady who was occupying the table interrupted Elizabeth's thoughts, causing her to spill her tea over the table.

"Oh," she commented startled, standing up with a start. Elizabeth began rummaging around in her bag trying to find a handkerchief to stop the tea spreading around the table.

"Here," the gentleman pressed his larger handkerchief into her hand. She smiled thankfully as she began to mop up the small puddle in the middle of the table.

"George," the lady addressed her husband, "Go and fetch the young lady another cup of milky tea."

"Oh no, you don't have to do that," Elizabeth protested.

"Nonsense, my dear," the lady told her as she took a seat next to her. "It was entirely my fault that your tea was spilt when I startled you," she apologised.

Elizabeth nodded her head, "I'm Elizabeth."

"Elizabeth, dear lovely to meet you. I am Eleanor and my husband over there is George. I am so sorry again for interrupting your morning tea, but I couldn't help but notice you. I was concerned that you looked upset. Is there anything I may be able to help you with?"

Elizabeth gave her a shy look, unsure what to say. Eleanor looked like a kind old soul and Elizabeth was desperate to have a conversation with someone about what she was feeling. She desperately missed Abigail at times like this. Abigail would be able to give her sage words of advice, but here in Hamilton, there was not anyone who she felt like she could talk to. Sure she had her family here, but there was no way she would be able to have a conversation with them about her problems. And many of the people who she knew here would be part of high society; they would never understand her problems.

Eleanor watched Elizabeth's face contort, a myriad of emotions passing over her face in a matter of seconds. "Oh, I didn't mean to pry my dear," she again apologised.

"Oh no…but I'm sure that you don't need to hear all about my problems."

"You looked worried and I believe that a problem shared can be helpful."

"Oh, but you too must have problems. Why else would you be in a hospital café? I don't wish to burden you with my unnecessary worries."

"When you get old Elizabeth, you will spend half of your life in the hospital," Eleanor gently joked. "Now I have a few daughters of my own and I can quite clearly see that you are in need of a motherly ear."

A faint blush rose up Elizabeth's face. She bowed her head, looking down at the table trying to summon enough courage to tell Eleanor what was on her mind. She paused momentarily as a cup of tea slid into her view. Looking up as she felt a hand giving her shoulder a comforting squeeze, she found herself looking into more comforting eyes.

"Here you are my dear," came the low gravelly voice of George. Elizabeth watched as George and Eleanor's eyes met before he leaned down to place a kiss on his her cheek and walked away.

"Oh no, wait," Elizabeth called out as she started to get out of her chair.

"It is alright Elizabeth; George is going for a walk around the infirmary gardens."

"Oh I didn't mean for him to be sent away from the café," Elizabeth apologised.

"It's nothing Elizabeth," Eleanor waved her off. "Actually," she said as she lowered her voice, "Just between the two of us, you're saving me from having to go with him," she finished with a smile.

Elizabeth gave her a small smirk.

"Now my dear," Eleanor started, patting Elizabeth's hand. "What is it that has you in this condition? Is it your husband? Is he okay?"

"My husband?" Elizabeth asked with surprise in her voice. "How did you know?"

"The wedding ring."

"Well you might say that it was a wedding ring that started it all," Elizabeth confessed and started to tell Eleanor the whole story, starting from being left alone in Hope Valley when Jack had been transferred to coming to Hamilton. She told her about the conversation with her family and their involvement, finally finishing to the secret that Jack was keeping. All the while Eleanor allowed her to spill her heart without any input, just allowing Elizabeth to speak her mind and ramble away.

"Elizabeth," she carefully started once Elizabeth had finished. "Can you point out to yourself, honestly, what it is that is really bothering you the most?"

"That Jack has kept me a secret," came the reply a few moments later after much contemplation. "He wasn't able to say to people that he was married. He was much more content showing everyone, or at least letting his workmates believe that he was single and career driven."

"Why is it so important that they know?"

"Why is it so important that they don't know?" Elizabeth fired back.

"You need to ask yourself why them knowing or not knowing is such an important point in your life right now? Jack, as a police officer, was likely protecting you."

"But he wasn't upfront and honest with me,"

"Or my dear Elizabeth, maybe you shouldn't overthink everything in your life, hmm?Perhaps you were blowing things out of proportion?"

Elizabeth protested.

"What is the lesson that you want to learn from this dear? That people should be honest with everyone?"

"Well, not everyone. But I'm not everyone to him, I'm his wife."

"But you wanted Jack to be honest with his workmates about his marriage," Eleanor told her, before momentarily pausing. "Take into consideration that he was likely protecting you. You must understand that all of our first responders have a very dangerous job. He most likely wanted to protect you and not make you the topic of conversation that he would have to hear about during his workday. Men can be just as gossipy as ladies can," Eleanor finished with a smile.

Elizabeth gave a small chuckle as she finished her cup of tea.

"And now my dear, you should take yourself up to your husband and have a good conversation with him. Make him understand how he made you feel, but ensure that you will listen to him. Try to understand why he made the decisions he did and I mean really listen to him," she instructed Elizabeth.

"How is it you are so knowledge about this, and with all the words to make it right Eleanor?"

"I was a school teacher, my dear," Eleanor told her with a wink. "And as you know, school teachers know everything?"

* * *

Elizabeth was exhausted; both mentally and physically. She wasn't in the right frame of mind from this conversation and it was going to be stalled for as long as she could manage it This was a conversation that she planned on having when they were back at home, well as much of a home as the Mountie Residency could be. Jack would be healed and she would have been able to have a decent night's sleep and would have time to sort of what she was feeling and things that she wanted to say. She needed to get it straight, everything that needed to be said. She needed to be ready to listen, and she wasn't. Everything that Eleanor had told her, she understood. Elizabeth understood that she had to listen to what Jack had to say, but there still, even after the conversation with Eleanor, a part of her that was mad at Jack. A part of her that was not ready to listen to a word he had to say. She steeled herself into thinking that it was all going to be okay and that they would manage to have a real conversation…. Once they were home, she promised herself.

As she leant up against the wooden door that led into Jack's room, she found herself remembering the words and sentiment that Eleanor had imparted; it was important to be spoken about, conversed about.

Taking a deep breath, Elizabeth steeled herself, mentally preparing herself to be the Mountie's wife – that is the stronger woman behind the strong officer. This was what she needed to do before walking to see Jack. She needed to let go of everything she was feeling in relation to what Jack had done, or what she perceived him to have done wrong. Whatever it was that he had done, whatever secrets he had kept for whatever reason. It wasn't Elizabeth's place to judge why without knowing every single reason behind the action. She reminded herself at the door that they were currently in a very different situation now, one that Jack may not be as comfortable in. Hamilton had obviously been a very different work situation when compared to where they currently resided, a fact that Elizabeth quite regularly forgot. Hamilton was the city that she grew up in, she was comfortable and au fait with everything in the city and it's social structure. Jack on the other hand was much more into a town that was similar to their current residence. Nevertheless it needed to be spoken about and this is who she was – Mrs. Jack Thornton, a Mountie's wife.

Tapping lightly on the door Elizabeth let herself into the room to find Jack sitting up in bed, looking ready to take on the world.

"Morning Elizabeth, I wondered where you had ended up. Thought you might have overslept without someone to wake you up. Are you just going to stand over by the doorway?" Jack teased slightly.

"Jack Thornton, you are incorrigible," Elizabeth commented. "You're in a hospital bed and still some of the things that you say."

"Yet you're still so far away," Jack retorted. "Well if you won't come to me, then I'll just have to come to you, my wife…" he told her as he pulled off the sheets and swung his legs off the side of the bed.

"No, no, no…" she protested holding up her hands.

"Well then, you know what you need to do then," Jack commented.

Elizabeth gave a slight chuckle as she began to walk towards him. She leaned down and gently placed a kiss on his cheek, "What did the doctor say?"

"What was that?"

"You're in a hospital bed Jack, waiting to see what the doctor says about your breathing..."

Jack shook his head slightly and brought his hand towards her face. She allowed him to pull her closer and with a slight tug from his hand on her waist, Elizabeth found herself nearly sitting on the bed with Jack. He leant over and captured her lips in a searing kiss. Without meaning to, Elizabeth found herself relaxing into the kiss as her hands tangled into his hair, and she moaned softly.

Finding himself running out of breath much quicker at the moment, Jack broke away from the kiss. "Morning," he breathed, resting his forehead against hers.

Elizabeth squeezed her eyes shut allowing the moment of 'normalcy' wash over her.

Jack drew back slightly, a sense of concern washing over his face as he studied his wife's face. Elizabeth's face looked drawn with a sense of exhaustion all around her. He focused on the dark circles under her eyes and the fine eyes that graced her forehead; this was not how he was used to seeing his young wife. Hearing her let out a deep sigh; he once again drew her close and placed a chaste kiss on her lips.

"How did you sleep?" Jack gently started, knowing that they needed to have a conversation.

Elizabeth shook her head slightly, exhaustion evident in her eyes. "It's hard enough to sleep in a big bed without you, but to do it in a foreign bed in a bustling city is nearly impossible."

"A bustling city, but you grew up here?" Jack asked, a smirk playing on his face

"Jack!" she said as she swatted him on the chest.

"Elizabeth, look at me," Jack commanded as he placed his hands on her face to allow her to understand that they needed to talk.

"No, not here Jack, you're sitting in a hospital bed and there's nothing to talk about anyway."

"Elizabeth Thornton, there most certainly is something wrong, I can see it in your eyes. You can't hide it from me," he reminded her. Jack decided that they were going to have a conversation, a full, open and honest conversation, right now he was almost holding her captive in his hospital room and he was determined to have a conversation whether she wanted to or not.

Elizabeth looked down at her hands, playing and picking at her fingernails, not willing to look Jack in the face. Running through her mind were the thoughts that there was no way she would be able to hold off this conversation that Jack wanted to have, not with the determined look that her husband wore, it was now or never. She had to lay her heart on the line.

"Elizabeth, talk to me…"

"I'm scared… I'm scared of the future; I don't know what is going to happen. What is going to happen in the future, in _our_ future?"

"None of us know what the future holds Elizabeth," Jack gently told her. "That's why they call it the future," he reminded her as he gently tapped her on the nose.

Elizabeth still refused to talk about it, everything weighing heavily on her mind, torn between being mad at him for keeping her a secret and then being mad at him for risking his life. Jack again watched the emotions play out over her face and decided that he would go first.

"Whilst I've been in this hospital bed I've had a lot of time to think Elizabeth. Whilst I've always known this, that nothing is certain about tomorrow, running into that fire reminded me about the uncertainty. Elizabeth I need you to know that I love you…only you and there isn't anything that I wouldn't do for you."

"Jack," Elizabeth started, a sob getting caught in her throat, "I always said that I knew that your job was dangerous and I'm scared of that. We never know whether or not you will be coming home to me everyday…"

"Elizabeth, I promise you that I will do everything to keep my badge off the wall at Canada headquarters," he whispered, taking her cold trembling hands into his much larger ones.

"But that's the thing Jack, you can't promise that..."

"I never said that I would promise to never get hurt or injured. I promised that I would do everything I could do make sure that I can get home to you and I'm very good at want I do Elizabeth," he reminded her, finger under her chin, forcing her to look up.

"But Jack, I watched you run into a burning building. You didn't even hesitate; you put everything on the line and ran into a building, ready to give up your life. That is one of the many qualities that I love about you, but Jack Thornton, I had to face head on the real dangers of your job and I didn't like it. I want to hate you for even thinking that it was okay to run into a building," Elizabeth's voice became harsh as she pulled herself out of Jack's grasp and began to pace the room.

"Elizabeth…"

"JACK – I had to watch the love of my life, my everything run into that building and then watch the smoke turn black thinking that I would never see you again. Did you know the day before I had cradled our baby niece close to me? I took in her new baby scent, enjoying every minute that I spent with her – allowing myself to imagine that one day that that could be us. I imagined us in Hope Valley in our house; Rip by the crib standing guard, you with our child in your arms singing softly and then you," she jabbed her finger squarely in the middle of his chest. "…You ran into a building and everything disappeared," Elizabeth told him. The words had started to spill out of her and there was going to be no stopping her now. He was going to be getting it, both barrels.

"And the worst thing about this whole situation Jack Thornton is that you kept me a secret from your work colleagues," she spat out at him. "No, you don't get to touch me," she pulled back as Jack swung himself out of bed and reached for her. "Jack… You kept me a secret! You never told anyone about me, you didn't wear your wedding ring, and how do you think that makes me feel? That you wanted to be seen as a single man or that you can't bear the thought that people know that you're married to Elizabeth Thatcher. How am I supposed to feel, answer me that…. YOU KEPT US A SECRET!" she shouted.

She broke down in sobs as the last words left her lips. She quickly placed one hand over her mouth and the other around her waist in an attempt to keep herself upright. As much as she tried though, she could feel her knees weakening and she wasn't sure how much longer she could even stay upright.

"It's okay, I've got you," Jack whispered into her ear, his strong arms holding her up. His sweet voice was enough to send her over the edge and the dam of sobs inside her broke free. Her whole body shook with sobs as Jack whispered sweet nothings into her ear as he led them back to his bed and settled them down.

They sat there for nearly ten minutes with nothing being said between them. Elizabeth's sobs slowly subsided, with an occasional hiccup here and there. Jack paused slightly, not sure where he should start. Running the pad of his thumb over Elizabeth's face, he wiped away the last of the tears that stained her face.

"Elizabeth, I don't know where to start, but understand that I am truly sorry. I never meant to hurt you. There isn't anything that would hurt me more than to hurt you, I need you to believe that," he started.

"But…" Elizabeth interrupted.

Jack shook his head and placed a finger over her lips. "Hush… Let me get all of this out," he told her. Taking a deep breath he continued, "I was selfish Elizabeth, I know that now. Not about the burning building, that is my job, I am trained to respond to anyone who needs help. I couldn't just leave a child in that building, I won't apologize for that. I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. I know what you're going to say Elizabeth that I'm not a firefighter and I should have waited, but I couldn't. I took an oath to serve and protect; however I am sorry that you had to experience what you did. Please understand that this is who I am, just as much as you are a teacher."

Elizabeth nodded, she had expected nothing less of Jack. She knew that this was an internal battle that she would need to fight with herself, she would never want Jack doing a half-hearted job, nor would she ever ask him to be something else.

"And Elizabeth, I never set out to hide our marriage, it just never came up on the first few days of shift and I never thought anything of it. Then it seemed like there was never a good time to say anything. Also, as I'm sure you have noticed when you met the men under my command, they aren't the most mature people that you have ever met. I do believe that Opal is more mature than many of them," he told her with a chuckle.

Jack felt his confidence build as Elizabeth gave him a small and encouraging smile.

"And then, if I'm honest with myself, I was being selfish. I wanted to be respected by my command for what I could do in my job, not who I was married to."

Elizabeth gave him a confused look.

"I overheard some of my men talking about the social structure in Hamilton and how so many people were marrying into money and social class. And a part of me knew that this never applied to us and it would have never crossed my mind, but there was a part of me that just want to be respected. Elizabeth, I cannot apologize enough for even letting the doubts creep into my mind, even for a fleeting moment, but it wasn't ever about keeping you a secret in my mind. I didn't want you to think that I was intentionally keeping you a secret. I want you to know that those who were in my command knew about you, I was open and honest about you. Poor Arthur had to watch to me mooning about the office, complaining about missing you. You, my darling dear Elizabeth, could never be kept a secret from anyone, but maybe I made the wrong decision. In my mind, being a professional, it was the right decision for me to make. Please understand that I honestly believe that keeping my professional and private lives separate is the right thing to do. Being in Hope Valley is different than Hamilton. This is a big city where officers in charge do not mix with those under their command. I don't want it to be different, but it is. Elizabeth I don't know how else to tell you, I am truly sorry. Please forgive me," Jack begged.

"Of course I forgive you Jack," Elizabeth told him; tears beginning to stream down her face. "I can't believe I was so silly about the whole situation."

"Elizabeth, you can't blame yourself. We are both as much to blame. We just didn't speak enough, you assumed and I didn't share. I should have noticed more, and I should never have walked out on you yesterday morning," he comforted her.

"Jack…. I need to apologise too. I turned my back on you that first night in Hamilton. I wanted so badly to punish you for your lack of honest with your co-workers. Even the next morning I was still mad at you and wanted you to make amends. So I too want you to understand that I am asking for your forgiveness too. I am sorry."

Jack gave a slight chuckle. "Anything Elizabeth…. Understand that we are both to blame."

Elizabeth saw the sincerity in his eyes and fell even further in love with him, something that she never thought that was possible. Jack pulled her closer and started to kiss away the tears that were making their way down her face. Elizabeth's hands made their way into Jack's hair, wanting to feel closer to Jack, after feeling that they had been miles away. They sat on Jack's bed in comfortable silence with Elizabeth snuggling her head under Jack's chin. There was something calm about the situation around them, things were on the way to be sorted out, and Elizabeth knew that they had turned a corner.

"And your wedding ring?" she queried, pulling her head out to rest it on Jack's shoulder and tilted it up to look at him.

Jack's shoulder shook slightly with laughter. "Oh that is a funny story. My first day in Hamilton when I was working with Arthur, we were investigating a break-in and had to chase a person through the shipping yards. I got my hand caught in some wire and the ring became snagged, it nearly dislocated my finger. It also bent the ring into more of a triangle shape, rather than a circle. I had to get it repaired and then I decided it was a work hazard and couldn't wear it anymore, but Elizabeth I wore it all the time when I wasn't working."

Elizabeth had to smile. "I can't believe I was so upset over that, and there was such a simple explanation," she whispered

"I see we still need to work on our communication Elizabeth," Jack gently told her.

"Well no one ever said that it was going to be easy. I suppose we need to work at our marriage everyday…"

"Taking it one day at a time, with a promise to talk and be open. Just one day at a time my Elizabeth," he promised her, watching the smile grow even wider on Elizabeth's face.

Jack settled back into his bed, pulling Elizabeth back into him, allowing her to cuddle into his side, smiling at just how perfect she looked. Dropping a kiss on her head he pulled her closer still.

"Jack," Elizabeth hissed. "This is not appropriate…"

"It's is, you're my wife."

"What if someone where to walk in? A nurse or the doctor?"

"I'm sure they have seen worse," Jack teased.

Elizabeth only poked him in response.

"Elizabeth I am not letting you go. I've got you right where you belong."

* * *

 **... Thanks for reading, let me know what you think** **~Em**


End file.
